Charity in Ramadan – Dry ration distribution 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, Assalamu Alaikum Warahmathullah,

Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said:“If the mountain of Uhud were turned into gold for me, I would not like three nights to pass and one dinar still be left with me, excepting what I would leave for paying my debts” meaning, he would not rest until his money was spent in Allah’s cause.

DA’WAH CORNER’s Dry ration distribution charity targets the poor and the needy among both the Reverts and the Muslims. Last year Allah helped us to distribute 51 packs, Alhamdulillah. But this year, Insha Allah, the target quantity will be more than 1000.

Each dry ration pack will contain:

• 15kg Rice
• 1kg Dhal
• 1kg Potatoes
• 1kg kg Onions
• 1kg Sugar
• 2 no’s Coconuts
• 400g Milk packet
• 100g tea lives
• 1 no’s Tin fish
• 100g Chilli powder
• 100g Curry Powder

Each rations pack will worth Rupees.1500/=

What is unique about this effort is that we are planning to visit each family in person and hand over the ration pack. This, we hope will add a feeling of warmth, love and brotherhood among or Ummah, Insha Allah.

If you are interested to be part of this Sadaqah, you can help us by donating us to by these rations.

Our bank account details are as follows:

Account name:  DAWAH CORNER TRUST

Account number:  1930017102

Bank name:  Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.

Bank Address: ”Commercial House” No. 21, Bristol Street, P.O. Box 856, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka.

Swift code: CCEYLKLX

If you are a donor from the Middle East region, you may encounter some problems in which case you can always send them to DA’WAH CORNER TRUST’s secretary’s (Sister: Khadheeja Sudarshani) account given below:

Account name:  M.K.N SUDARSHANI

Account number:  8480027907

Bank name:  Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.

Bank Address: ”Commercial House” No. 21, Bristol Street, P.O. Box 856, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka.

Swift code: CCEYLKLX

After depositing to the contribution to our bank account, please be kind enough to send us the scanned copy of the deposit slip or send by post. Also you can call us or send us an SMS. This will help us to issue the acknowledgement receipt.

Please feel free to call us if you need any further information.

May Allah reward your intention and effort and make your Ramadan full of bliss.

Wasalam,

Anver Manatunga

Investment For Hereafter – Dates Distribution Project In Ramadan 2010

Dear Brother and Sister in Islam, Assalamu Alaikum,

“Fear the Fire, even if by giving half a date in charity” (Hadith)
“Charity extinguishes Allah’s wrath as water extinguishes fire” (Hadith)

If you read any hadith that talks about Sadaqah, Dates takes a unique status. Dates are not only part of our unique Islamic identity, it serves as the primary source for Ifthar for millions of Muslim Ummah.

Our Masjid and Religious Institutions overflow with dates during Ramadan for distribution. But the question is “Are all these dates distributed in deserving quantities, to the deserving parties”. Some of us get loads of dates while some in particular the reverts, our new brothers and sisters in Islam and the our fellow Muslims living in non Muslim areas never get or never get enough.

During this Ramadan, DA’WAH CORNER TRUST launches its Date Distribution program with the special focus on addressing this issue. It specially targets areas where Muslims live as pockets surrounded by non Muslims as well as reverts (remain low profile fearing discrimination).

Our target quantity of distribution is 2000 packs each weighing 2kg. We hope this Insha Allah would suffice the ifthaar need of a single family.

If you are an individual or a person representing an organization who would like to take a part in this noble effort:

1. You can supply dates for us in whatever quantities. You can handover to the dates to our storing facility at 108 (152/2), 1st Stage, Badaowita, Mt. Lavinia or tell us where to pick them from OR
2. You can even help us through financial means to buy dates through depositing to our bank account at Commercial Bank or through a bank draft/check payable to DA’WAH CORNER TRUST.

Our account details:

Account name: DAWAH CORNER TRUST
Account number: 1930017102
Bank name: Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.
Bank Address: “Commercial House” No. 21, Bristol Street, P.O. Box 856, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka.
Swift code: CCEYLKLX

If you are a donor from the Middle East region, you may encounter some problems in which case you can always send them to DA’WAH CORNER TRUST’s secretary’s (Sister: Khadheeja Sudarshani) account given below:

Account name: M.K.N SUDARSHANI
Account number: 8480027907
Bank name: Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.
Bank Address: “Commercial House” No. 21, Bristol Street, P.O. Box 856, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka.
Swift code: CCEYLKLX

After deposit to the contribution to the bank, please be kind enough to send us the scanned copy of the deposit slip of post it or else give a phone call. We seek your attention in this as to issue the acknowledgement receipt.

Please feel free to call us if you need any further information.
May Allah accept intentions and our deeds.

Wassalam,

Anver Manatunga

Usually people use the word ‘Da’wah’ for the act of conveying the message of Islam, without differentiating whether the person being addressed is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. Many consider ‘Da’wah’ and ‘Islaah’ to be one and the same activity. The appropriate word used for inviting a non-Muslim to Islam is ‘Da’wah’ and for providing correct and additional knowledge of Islam to a Muslim is ‘Islaah’.

Definition of ‘Da’wah’:

‘Da’wah’ means an invitation. In the Islamic context it means an invitation to Islam. Thus Da’wah means conveying the message of Islam to non-Muslims and inviting them to Islam.

Definition of ‘Islaah’:

‘Islaah’ means to improve, correct, rectify or repair. In Islamic terminology, ‘Islaah’ means correcting a Muslim or providing more knowledge of Islam to a Muslim.

Ramadan Is Around The Corner

When Messenger of Allah  sighted the moon of Rajab, he used to pray to Allah in the following words:

O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings).
Alhamdulillaah we are in the month of Rajab which is a prelude to Ramadan, month of Allah and the month of Mercy. Ramadan holds a high status to be best of all months. Its days are the best among all days; its nights the best among all nights. Its hours are the best among the hours. May Allah make us one of those chosen ones for this month of Mercy!

It is the month where our Ibadah are accepted and rewarded by the amount known only to Allah, the Most High. Also accepts and responds to our Du’a we ask with sincerity and hope. So let us beseech and invoke Allah, the only one who hears and responds to us. Let us free our hearts from sins and evil. Sins that stem from pride, arrogance, and our lowly desires. Let us fast and soften our hearts with the recitation of the Qu’ran and humbly obeying its commands.

Certainly, anyone who fails get the mercy and benevolence of Allah in this month is a total loser.

While fasting, we will remember the hunger and thirst in the Day of Qiyamat. Let us feed the poor and the needy. So does Allah removes our hardship on the day of recompense.

Let us feel pity for those who are young and be kind towards our relatives and kinsmen. Let us respect the elders and treat them with dignity and honor.

Let us guard your tongues against words that do not please Allah, eyes from such scenes that Allah does not want us to see and ears from such things that he does not wants us to hear.

Let us be kind to orphans. Because the Prophet was extremely kind to them. Let us feed them and show them that we care for them.

Let us invoke Allah to forgive our sins. He is Most Forgiving. Let us raise our hands during Salat (Prayers), as it is the best time for asking His mercy. Let us also ask Him for his favors in Sajadah in Qiyam (Thahajjud), during the last part of the night where Our Lord descents (in a manner that befits Him) and ever looking for us to turn unto him for everything and anything we need. When we invoke Him at such times, we are answered by Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything, it is accepted by Him.

Messenger of Allah once said that if any person arranges for the ‘Iftar’ (food for the ending of the fast) of any believer, then Allah will give him a reward as if he has set free a slave. He will forgive his minor sins. Then the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: “But everybody amongst us does not have the means to do so?” The Prophet told them: – Keep yourself away from the Fire of Hell, by inviting for ‘Iftar’, though it may consist of only half a date or simply with water if you have nothing else. So let us help the poor and need of our brethren for Ifthar.

He (Sallallahu Alaihiwassallam) further said that if anybody who in this month may take light work from his servants (male or female), Allah will make easy his accounting on the Day of Judgment.

Anybody, who respects and treats an orphan with kindness in this month, Allah shall look at him with dignity in Qiyamat.

Anybody who treats well his kinsmen, in this month, Allah will bestow His mercy on him in Qiyamat,

Whoever offers ‘Sunnat’ (Recommended) prayers in this month, Allah will give him a certificate of freedom from Hell. Whosoever offers one ‘Wajib’ Salat in this month, for him the Angels will write the rewards of 70 such prayers, which were offered by him in any other months.

Whosoever recites repeatedly ‘Salat and salam’ on me, Allah will keep the scales of his deeds heavy, when in Qiyamat the scales of others will be tending towards lightness.

Whosoever recites in this month only one ‘Ayat’ (verse of the Holy Qur’an), he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the full Qur’an in the other months.

Let us all do the maximum in this month and earn the reward from Allah. A reward which will be truly immense.

Shiraz Husain Azad

DA’WAH CORNER Is 1 Year Old

A year ago, you may recall an email about the opening of DA’WAH CORNER. I am sure that you must have never heard of any such institution until that email.

When looking back at the journey so far, we see we are a stronger and more matured institution with lot of lessons learned.

Many questions were raised about our inception. Some asked why another organization, what is our ideology and who support us and many more. While some didn’t questioned (though they had every right to so) but supported wholeheartedly with the total trust upon us.

We didn’t know what Allah’s plan for us was when we started. We put the total trust on Him and worked on His path. But now, after a year, when we look back we have taken, we clearly see the path through which Allah has helped us. Indeed All Praise is due to Allaah without whose help we can never ever come to this level.

Today, DA’WAH CORNER is a spring to those who are in thirst to seek the truth of Islam. And it’s a tree that gives shade to those who have embraced the true path and strived in Allah’s cause with lot of difficulties and hardships. DA’WAH CORNER showed the clear direction for those who are die for opportunities to strive in Allah’s cause, in spreading His word among mankind. In fact, some admitted that our website (www.dawahcorner.org) serve as a Da’wah Academy for them. This is by no means a ordinary feet. Success comes from Allah alone.

Let me take this as an opportunity to thank each and every one of you who supported us and helped us for every request and plea we made for Allah’s sake. We pray that Allah reward you in abundance for your intention and effort no matter how small was.

We hope we have acted justly in performing our duties through your support. We sincerely hope and pray that you will continuously support in our efforts in Allah’s path.

It is indeed a pleasure to inform you that we have a formed DA’WAH CORNER TRUST, a charity organization to better serve reverts and needy Muslims. This institution has the following objectives:

OBJECTS OF THE TRUST

a)                 To relieve financial hardship, sickness and poor health amongst needy and poor reverts, empower poor and needy people and uplifting people’s lives throughout the Sri Lanka.

b)                To engage in social development works such as providing houses and food for needy reverts.

May Allah Reward you for intention and effort.

Anver Manatunga

DA’WAH CORNER

Financial Support Guidelines

This document is intended to serve following objectives:

• Will assist Da’wah Corner in offering financial help for new Muslims.
• Will serve as a knowledge snippet to the rest of Da’wah community. As an organization which introduces innovative solutions, we are obliged to share our learning experiences with other Da’wah organizations and help them grow. In turn serve as a guideline for other organizations when offering financial support for new Muslims.

Introduction

Many who embrace Islam do not have sound financial backgrounds. Except for fortunate few, new Muslims usually face various problems after embracing Islam. Some are driven from home, hated by relatives and/or distanced by friends. Some others lose their jobs thus find no means of living and face severe economic hardship.

Da’wah is not only inviting people to Islam. In times like these where there is no proper Islamic social framework to support new Muslims, the responsibility of looking after reverts is on us, the Da’ees. We have to be sensitive of these issues and strive our best to help revert brothers and sisters. It is our obligation to uplift them both in terms of spiritual, social and economic aspects.  This was a unique feature of Prophet’s society in Madeenah. The society we all are trying to achieve.

When a person embraces Islam, he or she should been as an example to rest of the community in particular his/her pre Islamic society. The person should be seen as financially capable and competent not as loser because of embracing Islam.

What we do when a person needs financial support

Many visit DC seeking help of financial nature. Some are genuine while some are not. Being a Da’wah organization which is concerned about how the funds are utilized effectively, we have the responsibility of verifying every case for its genuineness before committing on any financial help.

DA’WAH CORNER adopts the following strategy to analyze every case to ensure its authenticity:

• Speak to the person who is need by questioning why they need, have they made any other effort to raise that amount before, have they reached any organization for support, if so, what are the places and people contacted and what their responses.
• Keeping records of the person (Name, contacts etc.), in order to cross check with other organizations.
• Checking the Islamic knowledge of the person in relation to the history of that person being a Muslim (ex: A person being a Muslim for the last four months but do not know the Suraah Fathihah, we probe further).
• When a person comes with the problem and the solution, we dig the history of the efforts the person has made to come out the problem, how practical the solution have been. In the case of the solution is impractical, we advice the person with our alternative. (ex: If a person comes for financial support to start a new business and the history of his business ability proves unhealthy, we support him in every way to find him a job and further ask him to make Du’a to Allah to make things easy for him because every thing lies with Allah and we cannot do anything without will)
• When a person comes with debt and interest (riba), we make the best of efforts to talk to the financial institutions to reduce the interest rates. If the person taken loans from relatives, we request the lenders to ease the person concerned from debt and interest. We never encourage anyone with debt to invest more in business. We advice them to settle the loans first.
• After the person presented case we make the visit to his/her place without prior notice and also we make visit to the local masjid and get further details on his relationship with the Masjid, any history of financial help provided my the Masjid or by the people of jaamaah in that area.
• If the case is proved authentic (based on the verified information), we do the best we can and if further support needed we request from donors for further support.
• If a situation arises where we cannot offer help because the case is not genuine, we explain them the reason to decline, making every effort not to hurt the person’s feelings.
• As a policy we don’t offer loans. But whenever we offer financial support, we offer that as a “loan” to give them a sense of accountability. But if the person succeeds in the effort, we write off the “loan”.
• After the financial help is given (ex: Investment made to buy equipments for a new Muslim), we make the visit to see how effective the solution has been.

If you are a person willing to contribute or support us:

• As a potential donor (individual or organization), you have every right to get as much information as needed prior to making any donation or extending any other support.
• Once the donation is done, the donor can request any report from DA’WAH CORNER to know how the funds are being utilized.
• If any needy case was initiated and handled through DA’WAH CORNER, the related contribution or donation should be done through DA’WAH CORNER only.

On the other hand DA’WAH CORNER will maintain total transparency of handling all donations and funding with its donors.

How can you contribute?

You can contribute to this noble cause by:

• Sadaqa

Helping a new Muslim leads to continues Sadaqa even after the death of a person (Sadaqathu Jaariyah). You can contribute your Sadaqa through Da’wah Corner.

• Zakaath

Muallafathul Quloob (New Muslims) is a category that deserves Zakaah. If you are a person who would like to contribute this portion to this category, you can always do through Da’wah Corner.

• Donations

These are the donations in Allah’s cause.

You can direct all your contributions to Da’wah Corner bank account

Account name:           DAWAH CORNER

Account number:      8930016456

Bank name:                   Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.

Bank Address:              “Commercial House”

No. 21, Bristol Street,

P.O. Box 856, Colombo 1,

Sri Lanka.

Swift code:                     CCEYLKLX

My early days as a new Muslim was filled with sheer guilt and sadness when I think of what I can do or done for my new found faith. We were passionate to take Islam to others, tell others how happy and content we are. But we lacked means, freedom and support to carry out this noble duty. But things have changed now. Alhamdulillaah, Allah has helped us to make this difference. We have grown stronger, more skilled and capable. The question now is what we CAN’T do for the sake of Islam. This indeed is a blessed accomplishment.

We, together with you would like to build upon these strengths and take this Da’wah work to a whole new level. You can join us at DA’WAH CORNER and help us in many ways listed below:

Da’wah through mails

What is Da’wah through mails means?

During the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), he has sent over 300 letters to various rulers, kings, emperors and leaders inviting them to Islam. This proved one of the most effective ways of taking the noble message to others.

At these present times it is vital to understand the importance of this approach and put it into practice for best results. At DA’WAH CORNER, we send a leaflet having a biographical sketch of Our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to potential Muslims. We wish to expand this and you can also join us in the following ways:

1.  You can share with us the mailing addresses of your non Muslims relatives and friends. By doing so we can share with them the true message of Islam

2.  You can assist us financially to buy the needed stationary for this mailing effort (stamps, envelopes etc.)

3.  If you are a sister, you can visit us at our office and help us in preparing these mails (folding leaflets, writing addresses, pasting stamps etc.)

4.  You can also respond to many mails we get from various individuals who are interested in Islam

5.  You can provide the business directories to reach wider recipients.

Da’wah through the Internet

DA’WAR CORNER, as an institution which realized the need of propagating Islam through electronic means, has launched two websites.

www.sihalamuslims.org, serves as a portal for anyone who like to know about Islam and its basics.

www.dawahcorner.net is a one stop research website where all the research artifacts are maintained. This is the first Sinhala Unicode Islamic website where anyone (Muslims and non Muslims alike) can share their views, opinions and ideas freely.

6.  You can introduce these websites to your friends and relatives.

7.  You can share with us the email addresses of your friends.

8.  You can also respond to the comments made in these emails (provided you have the sound knowledge of Islam and know the etiquettes of Da’wah)

9.  You can also post your comments and emails to these websites

1. You can assist us with your Sinhala type setting skills in translating and writing Islamic articles.

Da’wah through Yahamaga Monthly

Yahamaga Islamic Monthly is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka which serves as primary means of taking our voice to the non Muslims. Diverse in its contents, Yahamaga contains news, social, economic, sports and current affairs analysis and many more features. You can contribute for this effort in the following ways:

1. You can contribute through writing Sinhalese articles
2. You can help us being a distributor among the non Muslims
3. You can purchase copies and distribute freely among the non Muslims
4. You can do a large scale mass distribution to libraries and organizations
5. If you are skilled in Sinhala typing, you can type articles for us
6. Also you can introduce people who can volunteer in writing articles
7. You can assist us with your multilingual and translating skills by translating articles from English/Tamil to Sinhalese.
8. You can help us by designing page layouts through using your graphic designing skills
9. If you are a frequent traveler, you can be a distributor to those around you. Even you can help sending Yahamaga to the people living or working abroad.
10. If you have a vehicle, you can use them to distribute this newspaper to various parts of the Island.

Da’wah through Dharmagaveshana Book Project

Dharmagaveshana Book Project was launched in year 2009 to serve two objectives in mind. Firstly to equip Muslims with the essentials of comparative religion. We believe this will enable the Muslims with the necessary know how when dealing with the non Muslims.

Secondly, to give non Muslims who are in constant thirst about Islam, a comparative view related to their own religions and beliefs.

You can assist us in this effort in the following ways:

1. You can purchase books and distribute among non Muslims on read-and-return basis
2. You can purchase them and give as a gift to the non Muslims
3. You can sell these books among various people, libraries and other institutions
4. You can read and send your research comments to its author
5. You can also send your comments and constructive criticisms to the author. This will help him revise and update as necessary and also accommodate any changes in future editions
6. You can help typing the books (new titles in the series and future editions) in Sinhalese.
7. You can help by translating these books to other languages such as English and Tamil
8. You can find us project donors for this project
9. You can be the area distributor for these publications
10. You can provide us with books of other religions and beliefs
11. You can design the cover page of these publications using your designing skills

Da’wah through Sticker Campaign

There are many people who are eager to know Islam but find no place where they can feel comfortable and free knowing Islam. These stickers with its attractive admonitions and contact details serve as a landmark on where to find more about Islam.

You can help this sticker campaign in various ways:

1. You can help us pasting the stickers in buses, trains, three-wheelers and other means of public transport.
2. If you are not in a position to do the above, find us people to carry out this effort
3. Since these stickers are pasted in many places and in many ways, you can act as a coordinator for a whole sticker campaign effort
4. If you have means and finance to sponsor the printing of stickers, you are most welcome to do so.
5. If you have a vehicle, you can paste the sticker promote our Da’wah work

Da’wah through Pennants Campaign

Many hotels and eating places in Sri Lanka belong to the Muslims. Turning this strength into an opportunity, DA’WAH CORNER has launched the Pennant campaign to give people an instant invitation to Islam.

You can help us in this pennants campaign through the following ways:

1. You can help us by volunteering to installing the pennants in the hotels and other eating places
2. You can also hang these pennants in your organizations and other private institutions
3. You can also help us both financially and physical means in making these pennants

Da’wah through Newspaper Advertisement

Using the newspaper media is another effective way of propagating Islam. DA’WAH CORNER’s monthly advertisements in various newspapers help non Muslims to find a place where they can learn more about on Islam.

You can assist this Da’wah effort in the following ways:

1. You can sponsor for an advertisement on behalf of DA’WAH CORNER
2. You can help us designing the advertisement with your flair for creativity
3. Many people respond/contact us as a result of these adverts. You can

help us replying these responses

Da’wah through Mobile Islamic Bookstall

Mobile Islamic bookstall is a means of giving the message of Islam to both urban and rural areas. Through the bookstall, DA’WAH CORNER uses every opportunity to give Islamic books for an affordable price and this creates a climate for the people to discuss and know more about Islam. We use places like vicinity of libraries, exhibitions, markets and other places where people gather for their various purposes.

1. You can find a place in your area to install the bookstall
2. You can help us by volunteering at the event where the bookstall is installed (ex: Exhibition, Carnival, Trade fair etc.)
3. If you have a vehicle, you can assist by transporting books and other stuff needed to setup the bookstall
4. You can help us giving discount for the books
5. You can provide us with information on the venues/events that the bookstall can be setup (ex: Carnival, exhibitions, trade shows venues and dates)

Door-to-Door Da’wah

Door-to-Door Da’wah is an open method of Da’wah where we visit every  house and make the invitation to Islam.

You can assist us in this activity in the following ways:

1. You can be a team member for the Door-to-Door Da’wah activity
2. You can assist by giving transport for the Door-to-Door Da’wah team
3. You can be a sponsor for the books distributed as part of this effort
4. You may be a person who sincerely wants to give Da’wah to your neighbors but never had the opportunity to do so. By organizing a Door-to-Door event in your area, the team will do it for you.

One-to-one Da’wah

One-to-one Da’wah is a more focused and interactive form of Da’wah where we speak to the individual and invite him/her to Islam. You can help us in the following ways in this:

1. You can fix appointments between your friends with Brother Anver to introduce them to Islam
2. You can do the needful for those who like to know Islam from us
3. You can find us a house of a Muslim to conduct this One-to-One Da’wah activity

Da’wah through Pamphlets

Pamphlets are an effective means of giving a glimpse of Islam in a short and snappy way.

You can assist in this effort in the following ways:

1. You can distribute these pamphlets in the bus, trains and among the non Muslims.
2. You can also give the pamphlets to your Muslim brothers/sisters (as a gentle reminder of obligation) to distribute among the non Muslims
3. Pamphlets are the most widely used in mass Da’wah. You can help us financially and through physical means to print them.

Free Books Distribution

Reading triggers curiosity. A curious mind is receptive to the truth and that’s what we are trying to achieve through free books distribution program.

You can contribute to the free books distribution in the following ways.

1. You can find good Islamic books for free distribution
2. You can help transporting the books to the designated location
3. You can give us the contacts of those interested in Islam so that we can do the needful to give them the materials
4. One of the major costs of this Da’wah activity is the cost incurred when distributing books by post. Our Da’wah reaches every part of the country and the cost incurred is also huge. You can help us by being a sponsor for these distributions by bearing these costs.

Sinhala Da’wah Academy

Sinhala Da’wah Academy is established to equip the Muslim Da’wah workers with the necessary language expertise needed to effectively do Da’wah among the non Muslims in particular to the Sinhala speaking masses.

1. If anyone in your area interested in Da’wah activities, you can invite them for the capacity building workshops organized by DA’WAH CORNER
2. You can also benefit from participating in such workshops and develop your Da’wah skills
3. You can introduce Muslims who have the passion for Da’wah
4. If you have Da’wah materials (you think will be useful), you can share with us

Audio/Video Unit

Audio/Video Unit at DA’WAH CORNER provides the technical infrastructure for recording and disseminating Islamic knowledge using audio visual means. You can assist us in the following ways:

1. You can use your technical expertise to record Brother Anver talks and lectures. You will have all the needed equipments
2. You can use your video editing skills and upload these talks and lectures to the internet

Da’wah through Audio/Visual Media

Audio/Visual Media unit at DA’WAH CORNER is established to promote Islam using media technology both in city and outskirts. You can help us in the following ways:

1. You can organize wide-screen lecture events/Islamic documentaries for the non Muslims in your area
2. You can assist us by providing transport of equipments for such events
3. You can volunteer to be a team member in organizing and running these events
4. If you are creative, you can assist us providing your creative insights for making Islamic documentaries and other presentations

Da’wah through Religious Research Library

Da’wah through DC’s Religious Research Library is formed to give its readers a wide range and depth knowledge on Islam and other religions. Da’ees and those are interested in doing Da’wah will find this facility full of information.

This also will provide a research facility to those who are interested in conducting their research.

1. You can introduce the non Muslim friends to the Religious Research library.
2. You can contribute with books that you find useful
3. You can be a part of the library volunteer group

Da’wah through Awareness program

The main objective of Da’wah through Awareness program is to wipe off the misunderstanding about Islam and Muslims in non Muslim mind. This in turn will create a climate where the non Muslims will be supporting friends rather than ignorant foes.

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1. You can assist us by organizing Islamic Awareness programs in your area
2. You can also provide refreshments for these awareness programs
3. You can act as a volunteer for the event
4. You can provide transport for organizing and conducting these events

Dawah through Branding

1. You can lend us your business places (restaurant counter, kiosk in a public place, etc.) to do a complete branding with DA’WAH CORNER

Da’wah through Interfaith Dialogue

Da’wah through Interfaith Dialogue is a means of creating a common ground between faiths. Also this helps to create mutual understanding between faiths and nurture inter-religious harmony. Interfaith Dialogue effort of DA’WAH CORNER is initiated with these objectives in mind. You can help us in the following ways:

1. You can invite Brother Anver to represent Islam/Muslims (in give a talk or a presentation) in your area’s or organization’s multi-religious events.
2. You can help us by providing transport for these events.
3. You can help us being a volunteer in organizing and running the event.

Apart from the above, you can help us in the following

1. You can emphasize the importance of Da’wah to the Muslims, and tell them about the activities of DA’WAH CORNER and invite them for a lasting bond as a supporting member for DC’s Da’wah work.
2. You can invite Brother Anver for your get together and special events to share his insights on Da’wah situation in Sri Lanka, what our role and obligations as a Da’ee
3. You can install Sadaqa tills to raise money for DA’WAH CORNER’s Da’wah activities
4. Those who are proficient in various skills such as video editing, hardware engineering etc. can volunteer to be part of DA’WAH CORNER technical team
5. If you are a lawyer, accountant, you can share with us your knowledge and skills and help us in the respective areas (ex: legal aspects of publishing, financial accounting & auditing)
6. If you are a retired person, you can dedicate a portion of your time for DA’WAH CORNER’s activities
7. Nothing can be as powerful as making Du’a to Allaah. You can make Du’a for DA’WAH CORNER for its success.

None of us can claim that we are immune of making Da’wah. It was an obligation upon the messengers, Our Noble Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) and it remains an obligation to all of us until the Day of Judgment.

We Muslims cannot say that we are not well versed of D’awah and the non Muslims cannot say that they didn’t know and no one came to them with the message of Islam (after doing Da’wah activities at DA’WAH CORNER).

With the list given above, we have made the humble attempt to make Da’wah easy for you. We hope Insha Allah, this list will serve as a guideline in your Da’wah effort and earn the reward from Allah.

Khadheeja Sudarshani

Secretary

DA’WAH CORNER – SRI LANKA

The Fundamentals of Da`wah

By Dawood Adib.

Introduction

<<Say: ‘This is my way: I invite to Allaah on/with clear knowledge – I and whomever follows me (does this). Glorified is Allaah, and I am not of the polytheists.”>>(12:108),

This is one of the aayaat that our righ teous predecessors extract the rules/principles/basics of Da’wah from. The Arabic term is Usool ad-Da`wah and is used interchangeably with the word Minhaaj.

Qul

“Say” We are instructed to inform the people whatever follows after the command of “say”. This aayah, as well as all the others, is being addressed to the Muslims in general and the Prophet in particular as to how we are to give Da`wah. In it are important commands for us to implement. Thus, we should learn them, understand them, and apply them.

Haadhihi Sabeelee

“This is my way” The word Sabeel is synonymous with the words Tareeq, Minhaaj, and Sunnah. The Companion Ibn Abbaas explained “the Shar`ee (laws) and Minhaaj (methodology) as the Sabeel (way) and Sunnah (example)” – Bukhaaree p. 16.

The instruction that follows is the Sunnah of Da`wah, and it is very important that it be adhered to. It is as follows:

Ad`oo Ilallaah

“I invite… This phrase is in the first person, singular of the present tense of the verb da`aa. It means: I am calling, I do summon, I bid/beckon/invite. to Allaah. This does not mean we call people to where Allaah is – above His Throne which is above the seven heavens over the heavenly waters. What it means is we summon people to the meaning of Laa ilaaha illaallaah which is “none is worthy of worship except Allaah, and it also to call people to His Deen, to His Uniqueness, and knowledge of Him by way of His Perfect Attributes.

There is a science of the Arabic language in which a part of a phrase can be used when it is actually referring to the whole phrase. This science is being applied when the aayah states to Allaah because it is referring to the Kalimah (Laa ilaaha illaallaah). The reverse of this is also a science in which an entire phrase is used when it is actually referring to part of a phrase, e.g. <<They thrust their fingers into their ears… >>(2:19) The word fingers is used but it is actually referring to the fingertips (of possibly only two fingers yet the Jam` case of three or more is used).

So it is here that Allaah tells us to invite the people to Tawheed. Clearly notice that we are not commanded to summon the people to any individual (regardless of how knowledgeable), any organization or masjid, any way of thinking, any project, nationalism, interfaith dialogue, ism or schism, etc. We are only commanded to call the people to the meaning of Laa ilaaha illaallaah.

`Alaa Baseerah

“with clear knowledge” This part the aayah tells us HOW to invite the people to the statement of Tawheed: Laa ilaaha illaallaah. The word Baseerah is not simple one to translate into English, however, for right now we’ll use the word knowledge.

Baseerah means Daleel and Burhaan (clear proofs and evidences). The word Daleel literally means guide. Often people ask the question “What is your Daleel (evidence/proof from the Quraan and authentic Sunnah)?” So what they are literally asking for is “guidance” because this is what revelation does – it guides us. Thus, this is HOW we invite the people toTawheed: with proofs/evidences from the Ouraan and authentic Sunnah!

Evidence can be produce by two basic ways:

• Naqlee – transmitted evidence: the Quraan and authentic Sunnah, and the statements, understanding, and practical application of the Sahaabah, and
• `Aqlee – rational evidence: views based on scholarly understanding of the Quraan and authentic Sunnah related to the issue at hand (we begin with Sahaabah/ Companions, then the Taabi`oon/Successors, then the Atbaa` at-Taabi`een/Followers of the Successors, and any of the scholars who follow their Minhaaj (which is abiding by the Quraan and authentic Sunnah and discarding personal, unfounded opinions) e.g. al-Bukhaaree, Ibn Taymeeyah, ash-Shawkaanee, M. ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, al-Albaanee and several others; and the linguistics of the Arabic language which must always be dependent on and consistent with revelation. We must note that we always seek an answer from the transmitted texts, and only go to rational points that are made based on Quraan and authentic Sunnah when we - via the scholars – are unable to find an answer within the transmitted texts.

One of our eminent scholars, Ibn al Qayyim al-Jawzeeyah stated, “Knowledge is what Allaah says, what the Prophet says, and what the Companions say.”

Therefore, in light of the above, one must, be knowledgable in whatever he is inviting the people to. This is a very important condition of Baseerah because if one does not know what he’s talking about he could be inviting people to Kufr and Shirk and Bid`ah and Kabaa’ir and other Muharaamaat. The Prophet  said, The seeking of knowledge (of religious matters) is mandatory upon every Muslim(al-Bayhaqee); and Allaah says, <<Everyone must know that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah>>(47:19) and <<invite to Allaah with clear knowledge>>(12:108).

A second condition of Baseerah is that the daa`ee (inviter) should be familiar with whom he is giving da`wah to. This is important because having this knowledge may be benefcial in convincing the invitee(s) to accept Islaam because the daa`ee would know how (or how not) to approach his audience. When the Prophet  commissioned Mu`aadh to be the governor of Yamaan, he abreasted him that he was assigning him to an area that was predominately of Jews and Christians (see Bukhaaree vol.9 #469 and Muslim vol. 1 #27). With this information it would be useful for Mu`aadh to know that he would be around people who had some knowledge of the previously-revealed divine scriptures because the approach we use with a Confucianist would not necessarily be the same approach we use for a Sabean or for a Christian, etc. Likewise, it may be better to send our Muslim brother Mustafaa O’Connell to Ireland than it would be to send someone of British origin (because generally people are more comfortable with others who are similar to themselves – and notwithstanding the ongoing conflict between the two nations).

This hadeeth concerning Mu`aadh is also a proof for the first condition of Baseerah because the rest of the hadeeth informs us that the Prophet told Mu`aadh to instruct the people in the basics of Islaam. In order for Mu`aadh to do this he himself would first have to have knowledge of Tawheed, Ittibaa` ar-Rasool, Tahaarah, Salaah, etc. And let us take special note that the first tbing that the Prophet ordered him to do was: invite the people to Laa ilaaha illaallaah.

A third condition of Baseerah is to be respectful, polite, humble, and the like, yet not compromising any Islaamic principles (like shaking hands with the opposite sex or sipping non-virgin cocktails) -while conveying the Da`wah. Allaah instructed Moosaa and Haaroon <<Both of you go to Fir`awn for without a doubt he has transgressed, and speak to him with kind and gentle words>>(20:43,44), and <<If you had been severe and harsh-hearted they would have ran away from you>>(3: 159). Furthermore, we should not insult those things that the disbelievers worship besides Allaah, e.g. in the 70′s when I was a member of the Nation of Kufr (the “so called” Nation of Islam) I used to say to my parents “How can we you worship that white, blue-eyed, hippie devil [Jesus]?’ Although, both of us was in a state of disbelief when I accosted them in this manner it naturally brought about a defensive response (which will make it harder to convice someone of your point). To ridicule and blaspheme the gods that people worship besides Allaah is in opposition to Allaah’s command <<Do not revile those whom they pray to besides Allaah because they will wrongfully revile Allaah>> (6:108).

Also, we don’t use rap songs to give Da`wah. Yes, music and instruments existed in the time of the Companions, yet with their knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and practice of Islaam (that will not be superceded by any other generation before their time and after it) did not use music to give Da`wah. In fact they did not listen to music at all.

This third condition of Baseerah means that we do not tell the people the consequences Allaah has planned for anyone who does not live according to His prescriptions and proscriptions. From several aayaat and ahaadeeth we can see that it is the Sunnah of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger  to tell the people about dreadful and tormenting punishments for the disobedient.

Anaa wa Manittaba`anee

“I and whomever follows me (does this)” The Prophet  and whomever follows him obeys the orders that just was given by Allaah: to invite the people to Tawheed with proofs and evidences/certified and bonafide knowledge. For the second time in this aayah this command of Allaah is attached to the Sunnah of the Prophet. We should pay very strict attention to this because in Allaah’s infinite wisdom He knows why this is being repeated in the same aayah. So if we adhere to the orders given to us then we can consider ourselves as believing and following the Messenger of Allaah as this part of the aayah states.

The Arabic word man is a particle that is general. It is not restricted to any place or time. Whether one is a companion of the Prophet , or is born of Slavic descent, or lives in 17th century Salem, or emerges from the pre-historic Flintstone age, or plays golf on the moon, the whomever, wherever, and whenever does not make any difference – as long as he is following the Prophet he is abiding by the dictates of Allaah. <<Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allaah>>(4:80).

The Da`wah of Islaam has three aspectsto it: Tawheed(monotheism),Ittibaa` ar-Rasool (following the Messenger: Sunnah), and Tazkeeyah (sanctification of the heart: the result of believing in Tawheed and following the Sunnah).

Wa Subhaanallaah

“and glorified is Allaah” This Dhikr is usually translated into English as such but the denotative meaning of this phrase is “Allaah is far above and removed from any indignities, deficiencies, limitations, and lies that are attributed to Him”, which connotes that He is hallowed/glorified. Included in this He’s far above having any partners, peers, equals, companions, mate, or offspring.

Wa Maa Anaa Minal-Mushrikeen

“and I am not of the polytheists.” This means that the Prophet and all those who follow him are not of the deen of the disbelievers.

Usool ad-Da’wah/Conclusion

The foundation or rudiments of inviting people to Allaah (there is none worthy of worship except Allaah) is given to us in this aayah and other aayaat. What we must do is learn them, understand them, and apply them. This is the methodology of Da`wah of all the prophets: Muhammad , Yoosuf (AS), Aadam (AS), et al. What these righteous individuals did was call the people to Tawheed with proofs.

“Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preachings and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.”

[Al Qur'an 16:125]

Da’wah

‘Da’wah’ means an invitation. In the Islamic context it means ‘an invitation to Islam’. Thus Da’wah means conveying the message of Islam to Non-Muslims and inviting them to Islam.A person who does Da’wah is called a ‘Da’ee‘.

Allaah, the Glorified says in the Noble Qur’an in Surah Aal-e-Imran, Chapter number 03, Verse number 104:

“Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and it is they who are succesful.”

Allaah, the Praiseworthy further says in Surah Qasas, Chapter number 28, Verse number 87:

“Let no one turn you away from the revelations of Allaah after they have been revealed to thee: and invite (men) to thy Lord, and be not of the company of those who join gods with Allaah.”

Allaah, the Most High further says in Surah Fussilat, Chapter number 41, Verse number 33:

“And who is better in speech than he who invites (all) to Allaah and does righteous deeds and says,’I am one of the Muslims’.”

And Allaah, the Exhalted further says in Surah Al-Asr, Chapter number 103:

Verse number 01: “By the Time.”

Verse number 02: “Indeed! man is in a loss.”

Verse number 03: “Except those who have faith and do good works and encourage one another to Truth and encourage one another to patience.”

Question: I would like you to give me your opinion about the issues and challenges in Islamic missionary work today.

Answer: Your question is very general and I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for. First of all, we Muslims do not usually use the words “missionary” or “missionary work” to refer to a da`i andda`wah. We prefer to keep our own Islamic terms, which come from the verb meaning to call or invite.

As for who should makeda`wah, each and every one of us Muslims should invite others to Islam by setting an example of good behavior so that people can see that our faith is a living faith that means more to us than praying five times a day.

But da`wah in such forms as preaching, debating, and writing requires training, not only in Islamic knowledge but also in communication skills. This, obviously, is not the duty of all of us. But we all should financially support the efforts of da`is(those who work inda`wah; Arabic plural :du`ah).

The issues and challenges facing da`isvary from country to country and from one situation to another. Are they makingda`wah to Muslims who know little about Islam and who have added to their religion in their ignorance? Is their audience literate? Are they trying to convince others to become Muslim? Are those others People of the Book who have some background in the concepts of God, revelation, and prophethood? Or are they pagans who have no such background, and so different arguments and approaches must be made? Are theda`is working in a poor developing country where they might not even have a microphone and loudspeakers to talk to a large audience? Are they speaking in person to one or a few people, or even to a crowd? Or are they using radio, TV, CDs, or the Internet to reach a distant impersonal audience? All of these and other factors will make a difference to their approach, soda`is must be trained in the methods they will use.

In addition,da`is should know the language, culture, and customs of the audience well. The traditions of the audience that do not conflict with Islam should be respected.

The choice of which language to use might be important in some situations. For example, in West Africa (according to my Nigerian editor) the Christian missionaries usually speak in English and use a translator when necessary to convey their message. For sociolinguistic reasons that do not apply everywhere. This gives the missionaries a high status in the eyes of the people. The Muslim da`isthere usually address the people in the African languages, but they are now beginning to change their tactics and address them in English in order to raise their status and the status of their message.

Furthermore (according to my same informant), Christian missionaries often become very emotional in their speech and so they enter people’s hearts. The Muslim da`is, on the other hand, tend to focus on facts and reasoning—and often wrongly assume that the audience knows and accepts the basics of faith. Thus, their message does not reach people’s hearts. The challenge there—and elsewhere—is for da`is to learn to touch people’s hearts without making Islam a blindly accepted faith.

Another problem in da`wah in many places is that the da`is lead ascetic lives, often leaving behind their families and work for months at a time. Or they may simply be under funded. In both cases, this makes Islam unattractive because people want to live comfortable lives. If they feel that they have to give up even basic needs or simple wants to be Muslim, they will turn away.

Question: From your own experience of talking about Islam all over the world, can you give some hints and good ideas about how to makeda`wah in a way that suits the people of the West who are not Muslim?

Answer: Thank you for this question, which is asked by so many Muslims. It is a wonderful sign that so many Muslims love Islam so much that they want to tell others about it. So many, though, are full of good intentions, but are not quite sure just where to begin.

What Is Da’wah?

Da`wah is one of those religious words we use which often takes on something of a mysterious meaning. Its meaning is really very simple. It means calling others to Islam.

Now what does that “calling others” really mean? Does it mean going out into the streets and persuading people to become Muslim? Does it mean standing on a box in the middle of the High Street and shouting about Islam to those who are passing by?

In my opinion, certainly not!

Calling others to Islam simply means telling them what Islam is really like, and then leaving them to make up their own minds.

In Cairo, where I live, you can walk along a busy street in the centre of the city and you will find young boys selling socks. “Three pairs for ten Egyptian pounds,” they will shout, in Arabic. Passers by then have the chance to look at the socks.

If they are going to make a sale, the boys do not just dump the socks in a heap by the side of the road. They arrange them very carefully, perhaps in order of colour. The dark ones at one end and the light ones at the other.

Because the roads are very dusty, the boys selling the socks will dust them down and rearrange them from time to time. Similarly, they do not just hope that the passers-by will take a look, but they actively call out to attract their attention.

Telling people about Islam is something like this. We make what we have to say very attractive and we call people by our cheerful words and attractive countenance. A translation of what we read in the Qur’an says:

*{Invite all to the Way of your God with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.}* (An-Nahl 16:125)

A Book by Its Cover

First of all, then, if we are to talk to others about Islam, we must be presentable ourselves. This might sound obvious, but not everyone observes such a rule. By being presentable, I mean we should be clean and well dressed.

The ambassador of any country speaks on behalf of his country, so he should present a good image of his country. Muslims who talk about Islam to others are ambassadors of Islam and they should present themselves in such a way to others.
There is no excuse for being in untidy clothes or with an untidy appearance. You might be the only Muslim someone has ever met, so show them that Islam is very beautiful.

We also need to recognize that as Muslims we have different gifts and talents. Some people are good at Maths, others are good at sports and others can speak well in public. Just because we want to talk to others about Islam, it does not mean that we will be good at speaking in public.

Be honest, and work from your own strengths. If you are good at speaking, then speak in a clear, confident voice. If you are not a good public speaker, use other methods to tell others about Islam, and leave others to be the public face. The Internet, for example, is one way you can talk to others.

What to Say

What should you say when people ask about Islam? Well, first of all, if they ask you a question and you do not know the answer, apologize to them and admit as much. Do not make up an answer, to make yourself look clever. Explain that you will get back to them with a full answer to their question.

Islam is perfect and it has the answer to every question in the minds and hearts of men and women. The problem is that, because we do not read and study enough, we do not always know what that answer is, so we make Islam seem inadequate, when we are really the ones who do not know.

Never imagine that you have to persuade anyone to become Muslim. This is not da`wah. Our duty is simply to proclaim the message, and we then leave others to make up their own minds.

What a terrible thing if we were to persuade someone to become Muslim, in the heat of the moment, and then leave them without any support so that they quickly gave up their good intentions.

Millions of pounds, in fact, are spent in calling others to Islam, but hardly a penny is spent in looking after the new Muslims once they have declared Shahadah. If anything, we should actually make people hesitate, take their time, before embracing Islam. Make sure they know what they are accepting.

One very useful way of talking to others about Islam, especially if they have misconceptions about different aspects of it, is to talk about things from our own experience.

For example, if someone brings up the whole thorny issue of Muslims being terrorists, you can tell them that you are not a terrorist and that you do not know any. No one can argue with your personal experience without calling you a liar.

It is important, too, to speak to people in a language they understand. There is no need to go into special religious jargon just because you talk about Islam. Chances are that the one you are talking to will not know what you are talking about. No, use the language and the things people are familiar with.

Similarly, do not expect to prove a point by quoting them chunks from the Qur’an. The Qur’an will not have a value for non-Muslims until it has been proved to have a value. Do not expect them to be bowled over with your quotes.

Finally, always be very courteous and very cheerful. Show people that being Muslim does not mean you have to stop being human. A cheerful expression and a very polite manner will go a long way to give a very image of Islam.

And if, in the end, the ones you are talking to choose not to accept your words, then just as cheerfully and courteously wish them goodbye. You certainly do not need to lose any sleep on their account and, who knows, your words might have an effect at a later date.

I hope that these ideas are helpful.

How to Perform Dawah

Question: I have a question that deals with performingdawah (by which I mean giving lectures). I am sure Islam gives some approaches. I am particularly interested in dawah in the Netherlands for Muslim youth, students at High School and Universities and also for the non-Muslims. May Allah bless your fantastic work. Give my greetings from Holland to the whole staff. Salam.

Answer: First of all, I would like to start with an explanation of what dawah is, for knowing the nature of a task helps in accomplishing it. Dawah is to invite people to Allah, to call them to know the truth and to follow it. This can be done both by word and by action.

Your words are usedwhen you give lectures, sermons or circulate books, pamphlets, etc., that help people understand Islam. Your actions are used when making dawah through your manners, i.e. being a role model and bringing into practice the noble teachings of Islam.
Both methods (dawah by words and actions) were applied by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) setting for his Ummah (community of Muslims) a distinguished example to emulate.

Once asked about the Prophet’s manners, Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied that his actions were the living example of all the noble teachings and principles imbedded in the glorious Quran. (At-Tirmidhi)

Consequently, a Muslim is supposed to advise others using a gentle approach in an attempt to attract thirsty hearts and souls to the path of Allah. Indeed, people nowadays are keen to apply Islam more than ever, but they lack the example to follow.
Brother, the problem is not in making dawah; the problem is in the way we present it to people. It is sad to say that many people who call to Islam have ruined the image ofdawah itself, through the rigid methods which they apply, thus giving a bad impression about Islam and its followers.

Thus, in the light of all the propaganda that is going on against Islam and Muslims these days, Muslims have to exert efforts in applying wisdom, good preaching and sound arguments.
When calling people to Islam, especially in the West, part of the approach you need is to make a clear the distinction between “Islam” and “Muslims”. You may ask why this is so important.

The more the non-Muslims get attracted towards Islam, through its noble teachings and humane precepts, the more the bad manners of some Muslims scare off those non-Muslims. So you need to make them realize that as there are non-practicing Christians, whose acts run in sharp contrast to the dictates of Jesus Christ, there are also some people who have call themselves “Muslim” while not actually practicing what it means.

Many non-Muslims wrongly identify Islam as being simply “what Muslims do” and this is a big problem when we have non-practicing Muslims.
So all in all, you need to adopt gentleness and politeness in presenting your arguments. Allah the Almighty addresses His Prophet, saying:
*{Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.}* (An-Nahl 16:125)
The Prophet is reported to have said:

“Indeed, gentleness adds more beauty to the atmosphere it reposes therein.” (Muslim)
Actually, nothing is more needed now, in makingdawah, than gentleness and wisdom. The reason for this is to dispel all the superstitions and lies spread against Islam. All this needs wisdom, patience and perseverance, and such polite methods bring quick results and have rapid effect on the audience.
This reminds us how the Prophet’s gentle manners and wise approach softened the hearts of the Quraishi idolaters, such as Hind (Abu-Sufyan’s wife). She was the one who chewed Hamza’s liver and fought Islam vigorously until the 8th year of Hijrah. She did not really know the Prophet. However, when she knew him and saw his lenient manners, she told him “I never wished someone on the face of this earth to be abased more than you and your family. Now, I do not see someone on the face of this earth more honored than you and your family.”
You see how the Prophet’s kindness and sympathy changed the hearts of the people around him? Thus, the callers to Islam of today need to learn from the noble Prophet in order to draw people to Islam, instead of driving them away.

There is also a need to change the language ofdawah itself. Observing many Friday sermons nowadays, will give one a quick impression that the majority of attendants do not follow the speaker.

Actually some take Friday sermons as a suitable time to take a nap or read a newspaper, for the speaker fails to attract their attention as the audience. The Friday sermon, as a form ofdawah, needs to be presented in a very compelling way and must serve the purpose of educating people and conveying the true message of Islam to them.
It is also important for you to consider your audience. You should always know what type of message they would easily grasp. Addressing the youth in a university campus actually demands extraordinary accuracy in presenting arguments, more than what will be needed when addressing another forum.

Each situation calls for a certain approach. Always try to choose a suitable time for preaching. Not all the time will you find attentive ears.

The Muslim Is Wise And Eloquent In His Da’wah

Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi

The da’ee (caller) is intelligent and eloquent in his preaching, wise in the way he calls people to the truth, and gentle in the way he teaches them the rules of Islam. In all of this, he is following the words of Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala):

Invite [all] to the Way of your Rabb with wisdom and beautiful preaching … (Qur’an 16:125)

One of the most important qualities of those who call others to Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) is that they should know how to reach people’s hearts and endear faith to them, without saying anything that may turn them away, hurt them or offend them. So the da`ee does not impart all his knowledge in one go; rather, he presents his knowledge in stages, and avoids overwhelming his audience or boring them. This is what the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to do in his own preaching, as the great Sahabi `Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radhiallahu `anhu) tells us. He used to preach a little at a time to the people, every Thursday. A man said to him, “I wish that you would teach us everyday.” He said, “What prevents me from doing so is the fact that I would hate to bore you. I show consideration towards you by choosing a suitable time to teach you, just as the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to do with us, for fear of making us bored.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

One of the Prophet’s effective methods in dawah was not to make his khuthah too long, especially when he was addressing a large crowd which included elderly and sick people. Keeping the khuthah short is an indication of the khatib’s understanding both of his message and of the psychology of his audience. This is the teaching of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) which ‘Ammar ibn Yasir (radhiallahu `anhu) told us about:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) say: “A man’s making the prayer long and keeping his khutbah short is a sign of his understanding, so make your prayers long and your khutbah short.” (Muslim)

One of the methods of wise, intelligent dawah is to be gentle with the people one is calling, and to show patience towards their ignorance, mistakes and many tedious questions, and their slowness in understanding. This is the way of the supreme da`ee, the Seal of the Prophets, who used to open his heart to those who asked questions, and was always gentle in his answers to them. He approached them with an attitude of love and an earnest desire to guide them, correct them and teach them, so he would keep explaining a matter to them until they understood it and dispersed content with the lesson they had learned.

An example of this gentle approach is the account of the Sahabi Mu`awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Salami who said: “Whilst I was praying with the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), one of the men in the congregation sneezed, so I said, ‘Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you).’ The people glared at me, so I said, ‘May my mother be bereft of me! What are you staring at me like that for?’ They began to strike their thighs with their hands, and when I realized that they were telling me to be quiet, I fell silent. The Prophet may my father and mother be sacrificed for him, finished the prayer, and I have never seen a better teacher than he, before or since. By Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala), he did not rebuke me or strike me or insult me. He merely said, ‘This prayer should contain nothing of the everyday speech of men; it is just tasbih, takbir and the recitation of Qur’an,’ or words to that effect. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), I am still very close to the time of Jahliyyah (i.e., I am very new in Islam). Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has brought us Islam, yet there are some among us who still go to soothsayers.’ He said, ‘Never go to them.’ I said, ‘And there are some who are superstitious.’ He said, ‘That is just something that they imagine; it should not stop them from going ahead with their plans.”‘ (Muslim)

The Prophet’s gentle approach in his calling people to the truth reached such an extent that he did not directly confront a wrong-doer with his deeds, so that he would not hurt his feelings or cause him to lose face. Instead, he would denounce the wrong deed indirectly, and gently draw the person’s attention to it. This method is more successful in reaching people’s hearts and dealing with errors and faults.

`A’ishah said,

“When the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) heard that someone had done something wrong, he did not say, ‘What is wrong with so-and-so that he says (such-and-such)?’ Rather, he would say, ‘What is wrong with some people that they say such-and-such?’…” [Hayat al-Sahabah 3/129]

Another feature of the successful da`ee is that he speaks clearly to his audiene and repeats his words, as Anas (radhiallahu `anhu) said:

“The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to repeat things three times when he spoke, so that they would be understood. When he came to a people, he would greet them with salam three times.” (Bukhari)

`A’ishah said:

“The speech of the Prophet was very clear. Everyone who heard it understood it.” [Reported by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi with a sahih isnad]

PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH (SWT) TO AN ATHEIST

by Dr. Zakir Naik

CONGRATULATING AN ATHEIST

Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, ” My special congratulations to you”, because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief – he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though e may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him.

My Muslim brothers may question me, “Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?” The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahada i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ – meaning ‘there is no God’. So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘il lallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Insha Allah. With others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God.

LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD

My first question to the atheist will be: “What is the definition of God?” For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities – therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods.

If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam.

Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he shall Insha Allah not refuse.

(You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details)

QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE

The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all.

Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.

If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, ” Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ Whatever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or somewhat of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN: for details on this subject please refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE – COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE?

THEORY F PROBABILITY

In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.

A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct are 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.

Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.

At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.

The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.

Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminium, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.

The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it up to you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.

CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN

The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’.

QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE

Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.

But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it.

SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD

Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).

Surah Fussilat:

“Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?”

[Al-Quran 41:53]

Mission Possible: Teen Da’wah

Some parental strategies and techniques for success in presenting da’wah to their children.

Do you get the feeling that every Islamic oriented discussion with your teens is falling on deaf ears lately? If so, you’re not alone, but it may not be as bad as you think. Many children feel an exaggerated sense of independence when they reach adolescence.
As a result, they may feel they no longer need their parent’s intervention or advice; perhaps feeling their parents are old-fashioned or out to touch. Sound familiar? For us, as parents, to get our point across, it all comes down to simply this: technique. You may feel as if you are taking one step forward and two steps back, but it’s possible that you just need to overhaul your method and revise your strategy.

Timing is Everything

It’s true. Timing can really make all the difference. If you try talking to your teens in the midst of them running out the door to go to a friend’s house, chances are they will absorb less than 5% of what you just said. Their focus at that point in time is getting where they want to go, as fast as humanly possible.

Picking the right time to talk about Islam is really an essential part of making da’wah (call to Islam) to them. We all have to think back and consider how our state of mind was when we were a teen. Try to remember the type of things that really made you stop and pay attention. Try to think of someone who really made an impact on you, someone you really listened to, what was their technique – what did they do that made a difference?

As ironic as it may sound, the dreaded family outing can be a great time for da’wah. While, for the most part, many teens would rather be doing almost anything other than spending a few days isolated with their parents and siblings, an outing may be just the thing you need. Free from distractions of school, friends, computers and phone is where you’ll get the most time to spotlight and highlight Islam.

By simply taking a trip to the local wildlife reservation or nature area can be a wonderful opportunity to point out the fascinating miracles of Allah (SWT). A change of scenery in beautiful surroundings usually has a positive impact on everyone in the family, giving everyone a chance to stop and smell the rose, figuratively and literally speaking.

Finally, Ramadan is a prime time to give da’wah to your teens. It is a time when everyone in the family is more focused on Islam. Between fasting and the Taraweeh Salah (night prayer), it softens our hearts and gives us all time to reflect. Ramadan is an ideal time to get your teen involved at the local Masjid and with the Muslim community.

Search out and find projects for them to do, and tasks to accomplish. Although some teens may be uninterested at first, but by the time Ramadan is over there’s a good chance that they will be thankful for the time they spent working for the sake of Allah (SWT) and will remember it for years to come.

Smart Strategies

Keep it Short and Sweet – Children young and old have short attention spans and easily be distracted. The less time you spend talking, the more effective your point will be.

Make it Relate – Use examples they can relate to in their daily life. Point out situations as they arise and how they relate to Islam. Don’t miss an opportunity to point out blessings, miracles and lessons. It is easier to understand and remember things that are directly related to one’s own personal experiences or something that they have noticed in themselves.

Start and End on a High Note – Be positive in your approach. Many times we all get overly critical or nit-picky with our kids. It’s really easy to do without even realizing it. It is truly important for them to know that we love them and are proud of them.

And it is crucial that we take the time to point out the good things that they do, as well as the bad. For example, if they carry out a good deed, relate it to Islam and point it out. Explain the importance, rather, the magnitude of their actions and the rewards they will receive for those good deeds. In addition, focus on the rewards in Islam equally as much as the punishments.

Draw attention to the halal (lawful) equally as much as the haram (prohibition). Often, we concentrate on the negative much more and sometimes leave the positive as an afterthought or leave it out altogether. 

Fresh Ideas

Family Outings – Do some research before the next outing and have your kids look up the miracles in the Holy Qur’an that deal with nature (bees and plants etc.). Then on your outing, have a scavenger hunt to search for those miracles.

Ramadan – This year, instead of staying at home every evening, go to Masjid and serve Iftar (breakfast) to others. Seek out the needy Muslims in your surrounding area and help your teens assemble food baskets, drive them around and let them distribute it to the needy Muslims themselves.

Community – Having your teen directly involved in activities is one of the most effective methods of da’wah. Get your teen to help organize the next convention or seminar at your local Masjid. A group of teens can visit the sick and elderly Muslims in the community. Teens can even organize a weekend camping event with their friends, a few parents and someone knowledgeable in the community to give short talks between activities. 

This Mission is Yours

Each of us stops and wonders how the children we raise will turn out as adults. Often we’re perplexed which way is best to relay the message of Islam in a manner that will bring successful results. We want to prevent our children from having to learn things the hard way, and shield them from the harmful situations of this life.

More importantly, we’re striving to protect them from the Hellfire and make their path easier to Jannah (paradise). This is why we teach them, it is why we want them to listen and understand.

One of the most difficult missions for any parent is to get their children to really listen, understand and heed their advice. It is not an easy mission, as Allah (SWT) tells us: “And know that your possessions and your children are but a trial, and that surely with Allah is a Mighty Reward.” (Holy Qur’an 8: 28)

We are, InshaAllah, all attempting to fulfill our goal as parents and Muslims in one of our most trying tests in this life. The more effective methods we use to impart the importance of Islam to our children in their daily lives, the more likely they will be to be among those who enter Jannah and make Du’a (supplication) for us when we are gone.

[From: Al Jumu'ah Vol. 13 Issue 7]

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Question: What else should we do as Muslims after fulfilling the five pillars of Islam and treating our fellow humans justly and kindly? What is the importance of da`wah, and how should it be practiced nowadays? May Allah reward you.

Answer: Dear brother in Islam, we would like to thank you for your question and we appreciate the confidence you have in us. We hope our efforts meet your expectations. 

Actually your question is quite interesting and very important to every Muslim, though it is hard to cover in one page or even an essay. However, we will try stick to the points you have raised in your question.

First of all, you should know that Islam is not just prayer, fasting, paying Zakah, and going for Hajj. These are the foundations of Islam; however Islam is a very comprehensive and all-encompassing religion that covers all aspects of life. In that sense, Islam is a way of life and a code of teachings and rules that makes life better. Da`wah means conveying the message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It is to help all people be always on the right track and guide those who have gone astray to return to the path of Allah the Almighty.

Sheikh Hamed Al-Ali, instructor of Islamic Heritage at the Faculty of Education, Kuwait and Imam of Dahiat As-Sabahiyya Mosque, says:

“In addition to performing Salah, fasting and other pillars of Islam, we need to have thetaqwa (consciousness of Allah the Almighty) in our hearts, be this in public or in private life. That means we are required to follow the commands of Almighty Allah and avoid all what He has forbidden. The Qur’an and the Sunnah are the sources of guidance and knowledge for us, and as such, we need to resort to the Qur’an and refer to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in all of our actions and read them regularly to seek guidance. If sometimes we fail to find the guidance in the Qur’an and Sunnah to a particular problem or situation in our life, then we need to approach the Muslim scholars and ask them about things we do not know. This way we will make sure that we are on the right path of Allah Most High.

As far as the issue of da`wah in the sense of preaching is concerned, it is regarded as fard kifayah (collective obligation) on Muslims. But da`wah in the sense of setting a good example is fard `ayan (individual obligation) on Muslims to safeguard their religion and convey its message to Muslims and non-Muslims as well. With regard to the methods of giving da`wah, they are many: wise and gentle approach, giving speeches and sermons, setting good example for others to follow, etc.”

Dr. Su`aad Salih, professor of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, adds:

“`Ibadah(worship) in Islam is not restricted to the performance of the five daily prayers, fasting, Zakah, Hajj, and others rituals. The real meaning of `ibadah is very comprehensive and goes beyond these acts mentioned above. Literally, `ibadah stands for submission and showing humility to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, as He is the One Who has given us bounties and favours. Therefore, any act of goodness that is classified under righteousness and piety is considered to be an act of worship in Islam.

It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Mu`adh Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): “Do you know what right Allah Most High has on His servants and what right they have on Him?” He said: “No, Allah and His Messenger know best.” Thereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “The right people owe to Allah is to worship Him alone and associate no partner with Him. And the right people deserve from Allah is not to be punished if they do not associate any partner with Him.”

This Hadith indicates the broad concept of `ibadah in Islam, and that Allah the Almighty can forgive any sin except taking other partners with Him, Exalted be He.

People are required to strive against themselves and overcome their desires and not to respond to their evil-whispering soul. Allah Most High says:

“And those who strive in Our (cause), We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.”(Al-`Ankabut: 69)

In addition to this, people should spend in the cause of Allah, give charity to their relatives and others, avoid evils such as backbiting, slander, suspicion, spying, etc. They should abide by truth, honesty, keeping promises, and all Islamic manners that have been stated in the ever-lasting and all-encompassing book, the Qur’an. Allah Almighty says:“We have not neglected anything in the Book.” (Al-An`am: 38)

As for da`wah, it means to enjoin and call to what is good and forbid and warn against what is evil. It is the obligation of people who are qualified, have profound understanding of the Deen, have good character and manners, and have a broad knowledge of Islam.

Concerning the best method of giving da`wah, it is by wisdom and gentle approach, as Allah (Glorified be He) taught His noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Qur’an:

“Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” (An-Nahl: 125)

And He says in another verse:

“Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair.” (Al `Imran: 159)

And He says elsewhere:

“Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.” (Al-`Araf: 199)

Highlighting the importance and obligation of da`wah, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former head of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, says:

“We should first understand what da`wah is. Da`wah means to invite people to the way of Allah the Almighty, to call unto them to know the truth and follow it.

Da`wah is done in two ways. The first one is through example, through being a role model. In the Qur’anic terminology it is called“being witnesses towards mankind”(Shuhada’ ‘ala an-nasi). It is the duty of every Muslim, male or female, young or old, to be a witness of Almighty Allah among the people. When people see a Muslim, they should see a good person, a person of truth, of sincerity and of virtue. A Muslim’s life should be an open invitation through which people see the beauty of Islam and find it an interesting code of ethics and teachings to follow. Allah Most High says in the Qur’an:“Thus we have appointed you a middle community in order that you may be witnesses towards humankind and that the Messenger may be a witness towards you…(Al-Baqarah:143). All Muslims must giveda`wah through their good Islamic life as individuals, as families and as communities. People who come into contact with them should see Islam as a living and practical faith that makes the life of human beings better.

Another way of giving da`wahis through teaching, preaching, communication, engaging in dialogues, discussions and debates, writing books and articles, giving lectures, etc. Almighty Allah says:“Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. “(An-Nahl: 125) Of course this requires deep knowledge, preparation and training. Muslims should use the most effective and appropriate methods ofda`wah in every place and time. Nowadays, for example,da`wahrequires modern ways such as the use of radio, television, Internet in addition to the person-to-person preaching and teaching.

I know that every Muslim would not have time to go through this kind of training and giveda`wah in this way. But some people must prepare themselves and engage in this field, as Allah the Exalted says:“And the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may gain sound knowledge in religion, and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may beware.” (At-Tawbah 9:122)

Thus, givingda`wah with proper training and specialization is regarded asfard kifayah(collective obligation). That means in every community some people must take the proper da`wahtraining and should do this work in a systematic and methodical way on behalf of all other members of the community. If some people do this work, then there is no blame on others, but if no one does it, all Muslims of the community are considered sinners. It is the duty of all Muslims to support this work by providing facilities and funds so that it can be done in a proper manner.”

Department of distribution of free books

There was a big demand and responds from the non Muslims to know about Islam. To take responsible for this matter is Da’wah through mails (http://www.dawahcorner.org/da’wah-through-mails/), Three wheeler Vehicle (http://www.dawahcorner.org/three-wheeler-vehicle-speaks/), Yahamaga Mothly Islamic paper (http://www.dawahcorner.org/here-comes-the-yahamaga-monthly-islamic-sinhala-news-paper/), Mobile Islamic bookstalls (http://www.dawahcorner.org/page/2/), Sticker campaign (http://www.dawahcorner.org/sticker-campaign-dc/) and news paper advertisements.

Whenever they contact us we request them to write to us. Then we obliged with the book of “Introduction of Islam” and the people who are advance knowledge, we visit them. As a result of this we were able to visit wide and for remote areas. The certain people use to say we were searching Islam for last twenty years. They were very much happy to receive a copy of Sinhala translation of Al-Qur’an.

More Than Eighty Ways To Make Daw’ah!

Written by Dr. Bilal Philips

All praise is due to Allaah who expressed the highest praise for the “caller” to his religion saying: “And who is better in speech than one who calls to Allaah and works righteousness and says: ‘Surely I am of the Muslims.’ ”(41: 33). And may Allaah’s peace and blessings be on Prophet Muhammad, the role model, who said: “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to that of one who follows it.”

Muslims know that Allaah is the one who honored them with the religion of Islaam and made them responsible for fulfilling the trust of spreading it. Furthermore, they know that they will be asked about this responsibility, as Allaah says: “This is a reminder to you and your people and you will be asked (questioned).” (43: 44) They also know that if they fulfill this trust and become a reason for the guidance of others to Almighty Allaah, they will receive a reward greater than they can possibly imagine, as the Almighty said: “Say: Let them rejoice in Allaah’s grace and mercy, for it is better than what they accumulate.” (10: 58) And the Prophet (pbuh) said, “For Allaah to guide someone by your hand is better for you than anything this world contains.”

It is from Allaah’s grace upon us in these times that there are many ways to give da‘wah (calling to Islaam) and sufficient opportunities for everyone to participate and benefit from its great rewards. One who calls to Islaam is obliged to choose the most suitable way for those whom he or she calls. Furthermore, the caller has to vary these methods according to the particular circumstances he finds himself in, as Prophet Noah and the prophets before him did.

The responsibility of the caller is to be aware of the various forms of invitation in order to facilitate his work. The caller should also direct his invitation to everyone, including his immediate family, relatives, servants, guests, neighbors, colleagues and his friends. He should also be aware of the various locations where the invitation can be given like mosques, prayer halls, schools, hospitals, prisons, parks, beaches and recreational areas, Hajj tents,hotels, residences, airports, bus stations, banquet halls, shopping centers, market places, barbershops, public buses,offices, lunch rooms, cafeterias, and restaurants. Places where new comers to the country frequent such aspassport offices, duty free shopping areas, immigration offices, post offices, traffic police offices, police stations,tourist bureau, information counters in the various governmental departments and embassies.

Cooperation in da‘wah is also important as there are many others striving to give the invitation whose skills and experience may benefit you and yours may benefit them. Learning from their experiences will help you to be more creative and upgrade your knowledge and da‘wah skills.. Consequently, the caller should eagerly encourage others to collaborate with others in da‘wah and to give their utmost in serving the religion, whether they are from his family or not. Futhermore, he or she should utilize a variety of da‘wah materials and advertisements to recruit others to this noble cause by jointly printing books, pamphlets, and brochures, as well as copying tapes, CDs, video tapes, etc. and distributing them as widely as possible within his or her circle of friends as well as outside of the circle.

Since people are often at a loss as to how they should go about giving da‘wah, and use their ignorance as an excuse not to do anything, the following list of more than eighty suggestions have been compiled from among the many possible ways to give da‘wah in  order to make the way easier:

At Home:

1. Household library. Prepare a collection of books, magazines and tapes according to what is suitable for the various age groups (with consideration of what are suitable for all the members of the family).

2. Posters. Make a bulletin board for the home on which announcements for Islaamic lectures and events can be posted in order to remind the family of important events and lectures.

3. Family lessons. Read from a book, listen to a tape or memorize a portion from the Qur’aan and hadeeth together as a group.

4. Family Competitions. Engage family members in Islaamic competitions and maybe the prize is writing the winner’s name on the honor roll in the house).

5. Family Magazine. Create a family magazine by having family members participate writing essays or in cutting articles and pictures related to Islaam from the magazines and newspapers which you bring home.

6. Participation in Islaamic Social Work. Have your brother or son accompany you to the prayers, lectures or to visit a sick person or a scholar or the offices of Da‘wah.

7. Righteous Acts in Public. Do some righteous acts in front of the family, such as prayer, reading Qur’aan and giving charity, as an example for them to learn from.

At the Mosque:

8. Participation in the Wall Magazine. In most mosques there are bulletin boards at the back with announcements and Islaamic posters. Contribute articles to the board and purchase beneficial and informative posters for it.

9. Development of the Mosque’s Facilities and Programs. Participate in developing the mosque’s Da‘wah facilities and activities such as its library, Qur’aan memorization classes and its contribution’s box.

10. Providing Books and Tapes. Collect good books, booklets, pamphlets and tapes from Islaamic charitable organizations and put them in various locations in the mosque. For example, it is possible to place the literature in the Qur’aan shelves and in particular the Qur’aanic commentaries and their translations in different languages.

11. Advertisement for Mosque’s Programs. Announce the topics and timings for new lectures and classes in the mosque and post advertisements for them on the bulletin boards and on the doors of the mosque.

12. Lectures. Invite a good lecturers know to you to give lectures at the mosque or contact organizations like the Awqaaf or other Da‘wah organizations to provide lecturers for your local mosque on a regular basis.

13. Translation of Friday Khutbah. Arrange with the Awqaaf for the translation of the Friday sermon into the languages of the majority of those who attend Jumu‘ah in your local mosque.

14. Mosque Committee. Participation in the mosque’s committee which organizes the mosque’s Da‘wah programs and its and social activities.

At School:

15. Morning Assembly. Help to prepare da‘wah oriented material for the morning assembly and the school’s morning broadcast.

16. Bulletin Boards. Prepare attractive posters advertising internal extracurricular activities as well as external Islaamic lectures and classes for the various bulletin boards around the school.

17. Drama Activities. Participate in the drama activity in the school by developing Islaamic plays and themes.

18. Lectures. Arrange for the visits of various speakers and callers to the school. Focus on open forums in which students are able to ask the questions which are most important to them, thereby making Islaam seem more relevant.

19. Competitions. Organize Islaamic and academic educational competitions between the students and schools and distribute Islaamic prizes. Use such occasions as a means to talk about the importance and responsibility of da‘wah.

20. Facilitating Student Input. Collect students’ suggestions and complaints and present them to the school authorities. Give full support to student opinions on important issues, especially those related to Islaam.

21. Islaamic Library. Help the Islamic studies department to develop a strong and varied section for Islaam in the school’s general library. Focus on Islaamic novels and stories of the Companions and others.

22. Exhibitions and Expositions. Participate in book and tape exhibitions or anti-drug expositions, etc. which are officially organized by the school.

23. Islaamic Week. Request that the school dedicate a week annually to Islaamic exhibitions, displays, posters, artifacts, videos, books and tapes.

24. Summer Holidays. Introduce Islaamic content in the summer vacation activities of the school.

At the Work Place:

25. Da‘wah Posters. Put up Da‘wah posters and announcements for Islaamic events on the office’s bulletin boards.

26. Your Desk. Keep Da‘wah material on your desk at all times, among your books, in a rack as well as on your own bulletin board.

27. Tape Distribution. Distribute tapes of recent lectures relevant to co-workers. Especially those with catchy titles that address materialism.

28. Invitations. Invite interested co-workers to lectures and other Islamic events, as well as to visit Islaamic da‘wah offices.

29. Congregational Prayer. Establish congregational prayer in the office or invite co-workers to accompany you to the nearby mosque.

30. Islaamic Socialization. Organize social gatherings and invite Islamic propagators to join you as informal guests.

31. Open Discussions. Encourage Islamic discussions during lunch and tea breaks.

32. Islaamic Projects. Gather other active Muslims in the office to initiate Islamic charitable projects on your job.

33. The Islaamic Example. Do your job to the best of your ability at all times as a good Islamic example to your co-workers.

General Means of Da‘wah:

34. Da‘wah Posters. Create or purchase a variety of beautiful eye-catching posters whose scenes match thought-provoking Islaamic texts or suitable Da‘wah situations and put them in appropriate locations around the city.

35. Muslim Greeting Cards. Print and distribute congratulatory cards and Eid cards, as well as cards commemorating other occasions of Islaamic significance which contain beneficial da‘wah messages and slogans.

36. Da‘wah Album. Collect awe-inspiring pictures and powerful Da‘wah slogans in da‘wah albums which may be kept for visitors and guests or given as a gift.

37. Marriage Invitation Cards. Turn the cover of a useful pamphlet into a marriage invitation card as a means of reaching all who attend. For example, where people are accustomed to a number of un-Islaamic practices during marriage, a well-known booklet on the etiquette of marriage could become the marriage invitation card.

38. Revision or Typing. Request the person you wish to invite to Islaam to revise or type out a da‘wah article as a means of indirectly exposing them to the Islaamic information you wish to get across to them.

39. Da‘wah Mobile. Send da‘wah messages by mobile to the general public or by email to mass mailing lists as reminders for religious occasions or lectures, etc.

40. The Internet. Utilize the Internet for da‘wah conversations or participate in any of the many the chat rooms in which Islaam is being maligned on the net.

41. The Media. Participate in spreading the Da‘wah by developing and presenting radio and TV programs or writing Islaamic articles in local newspapers. These programs should be widely advertised through the many means of communication mentioned.

42. Stickers. Arrange for the posting of stickers containing beneficial Islaamic reminders in appropriate locations like the prayer for traveling and riding vehicles in buses, airplanes. Distribute stickers containing the supplications for various occasions like leaving and entering the home, the toilet, etc., for people to put around the home. Negotiate with hotels and other such institutions to post stickers with beneficial advice like the sticker showing the direction of the Qiblah in hotel rooms, etc, to remind residents of prayer and help them to do so properly.

43. Schedules. Post schedules of the prayer timings and Ramadaan fasting timings, on bulletin boards in suitable locations around the city as prayer reminders and guides for those fasting.

44. Diaries and Agendas. Publish or print diaries, agendas and educational schedules containing Da‘wah reminders as well as significant Islaamic dates and occasions.

45. Calling Cards. Print attractive calling cards with Da‘wah information and arrange to have shops include them with their products when giving them to their customers.

46. Post Cards. Design post cards with attractive local scenes or landmarks with brief Islaamic messages on the back. For example, a post card with a picture of a date farm could have on the back a Qur’aanic reference to the water cycle.

47. The Da‘wah Briefcase. Purchase and distribute Da‘wah briefcases manufactured with many pockets designed to hold leaflets, booklets and tapes in various languages for easy circulation.

48. Magazine Subscriptions. Give a subscription to an Islaamic magazine to someone as a gift or donate the amount of the subscription to a Da‘wah office so it can choose someone to send it to.

49. Collect Used Magazines and Books. Start a project to collect used magazines and Islamic books, etc. from homes and institutions in order to ship them or distribute them where they are needed.

51. Bill Advertisements. Include brief Islaamic announcements and reminders on common utility bills like telephone or water and electricity bills as well as on supermarket bills.

52. Islaamic Slogans. Catchy Islaamic sayings or slogans can be printed on calendars, agendas, car sunscreens, plastic shopping bags and other similar items that are commonly circulated among the masses of people, with the agreement of their manufacturers and by providing those responsible with suitable sayings.

53. Open Letters. Prepare letters for specific categories of people. For example, letters may be directed to the neighbor of a mosque, to the mosque’s imaam, to the public speaker, to the doctor, to the teacher, to the student, to a publisher, to a father, to a mother, to a husband, to a wife, to an employer, a trader, a consumer, a security guard, a prisoner or a traveler.

54. Public Competitions. Purchase and give away Islaamic books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos, etc. as prizes in general knowledge quiz competitions or programs specially designed for certain categories of knowledge like science or particular categories of people like high school students, etc.

55. General Publications. Arrange for the production of books, tapes and CDs about the stories and confessions of those who were astray and then were guided, as well as publications containing poems, plays and literary pieces and linguistic works, and the biographies of famous people, and modern business related work on topics like administration and communication, international politics and science and medical topics like the functions of the body etc, in order to reach groups that do not normally read purely religious books.

56. Distribution of Da‘wah Materials. The various Da‘wah offices should organize the weekly delivery of their flyers, books and tapes to houses and schools at certain times.

57. Production Companies. Approach companies and institutions that specialize in co-coordinating and holding major events and programs for big occasions such as marriages, and prepare special da‘wah material for distribution at the events.

58. The Da‘wah Car. Purchase van type vehicles and write on them suitable phrases of Da‘wah and park them in public places in order to distribute a variety of audio and visual Da‘wah materials.

59. Large Bill Boards. Make neon signs or bill boards with Da‘wah messages and erect them in suitable places in the country to promote the Da‘wah and advertise activities and events.

60. Sporting Events. The Da‘wah Offices should participate in organizing sports events for adults and youths and include in the program Da‘wah related material for distribution among participants and onlookers as well as for winning teams and individuals.

61. The Charity Clinic. Doctors concerned about da‘wah should provide free medical checks up from a supportive private clinic for the general masses or for particular groups like those new Muslims and non-Muslims who study in the Da‘wah offices.

62. Women’s Courses. Write Da‘wah articles or slogans on the sidelines of course materials geared towards women’s needs and interests like cooking, home economics, child rearing, married life, home financing, managing house maids and housework, preparation for married life, breastfeeding or children’s illnesses, safety in the house and first aid.

63. Charity Bazaars. Hold charity bazaars, charity luncheons, etc. to raise donations for any one of the many worthy Islaamic causes. Include in the function Islaamic lectures addressing women’s issues as well as other general da‘wah issues.

64. Award Functions. Organize public functions in which tokens of appreciation are presented to scholars, callers, Da‘wah offices, religious magazines, Islamic tape stores and good websites, etc. to educate the masses about the importance of their da‘wah activities and to enlighten them to some relevant Islaamic issues through the speeches made at the events.

65. Da‘wah Directory. Prepare a the tourist’s da‘wah guide which shows the locations of the Da‘wah offices and associations, Islaamic libraries and Islamic studios, prominent mosques and Islaamic schools and universities, and locations and timings of ongoing religious circles, as well as the whereabouts of local scholars.

66. Islaamic Exhibitions. Arrange for book exhibitions by the major bookstores, cultural exhibitions by the Culture and Tourism Board or a cultural tent to visit schools and companies and participate in some of major science and technology expositions with the goal of da‘wah in mind.

67. Da‘wah Website. Establish a comprehensive da‘wah website catering to as many da‘wah needs as possible which would function as a think tank for Islaamic ideas and would entertain discussions and post rulings on specific questions related to da‘wah.

68. Breaking Fast. Introduce or participate in da‘wah project related to breaking fast in Ramadan or on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year. Include brief talks to those present enlightening them about the unique aspects of fasting and its spiritual significance.

69. Hajj and ‘Umrah. Offer trips for Hajj and ‘Umrah to particular groups, especially new Muslims, for the purpose of da‘wah and implement programs designed to increase peoples’ awareness before, during and after Hajj.

70. Transportation. Provide your personal vehicle and time as alternative means of transportation for those needing help in getting to the various Da‘wah offices for classes, lectures or conferences.

71. Da‘wah Warehouse. Set up charitable da‘wah warehouses that collect and accept materials for da‘wah and make them accessible to schools and mosques and others at nominal prices.

72. Da‘wah Offices. Join the local offices of Da‘wah, introduce others to them, and visit them regularly in order to participate in their programs and to support and encourage those working in them.

73. Supplications. Make supplications on various occasions as a way of calling others to Allaah, like saying to someone involved in haraam, “May Allah save you from the fire,” or to someone doing a praiseworthy act, “I ask Allah to bring us together in Paradise with the Prophet,” or for you to pray for a student saying, “I ask Allaah to give you success in the tests of this world and the next.”

74. Personal Visits. Visit those who are neglectful of their prayers close to the time of the call to prayer so that he may accompany you to the mosque.

75. Declaration of Islaam. Bring new Muslims to the local Friday mosque and have him openly declare his Islaam after the Friday prayer following a brief story about his way to Islaam. And follow the ceremony by pointing out ways that those present can help others find Islaam. In the case of female converts, she may declare her Islaam at a girl’s school or women’s association, etc.

76. Public Transportation. Provide public and private transportation companies, cab companies with attractive and appropriate posters, stickers, and tapes, and later give awards to their management for their cooperation with the Da‘wah offices.

77. Da‘wah Booths. Set up in the major shopping malls, supermarkets and other locations in which large numbers of the public gather da‘wah booths, stalls and tables equipped with large screen televisions and distribute pamphlets, booklets, audio tapes, videos, CDs, VCDs, etc.

78. Telephone Da‘wah. Record various brief da‘wah subjects to be played telephone systems when callers are put on hold. The telephone can also be used to answer Islaamic questions and to provide consultation.

79. Arabic Language Courses. Run programs for learning conversational and grammatical Arabic language either as courses or through books or tapes at the local da‘wah center or at people’s work place, if it is more convenient.

80. Islaamic Courses. Offer general Islaamic courses at local da‘wah offices, mosques, or public lecture halls covering topics from the major Islaamic disciplines as well as intensive courses for those specializing in da‘wah.

81. Da‘wah Day. Hold an open day of da‘wah with a variety of programs or special educational ones which are presented during the whole day catering to men and women, locals as well as expatriates. For the expatriates, the programs could be in one of the major languages of the expatriate community each day. Articles should be written a month in advance announcing da‘wah day and flyers and posters should be distributed all mosques and prayer halls, schools, malls, etc. so that it may be the talk of the people for that month.

May Allaah make you and us guides for others and grant us a place among those who are themselves rightly guided.

Da’wah to non Muslims

Da’wah to Allah is a duty on every Muslim in every age, and in our time this Da’wah is particularly important in light of the vicious attacks the enemies of Allah are waging to remove the importance of Da’wah from the hearts of Muslims.

·         Da’wah to Allah is a great honor for its carrier. Allah says in the Quran: “Who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah, works righteousness, and says: I am of those who bow in submission?”

·         Da’wah to Allah promises great reward for its carrier, and the Hadith of the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam confirms the reward. Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam said: “For Allah to guide one man through you is better for you than all that the sun has shined over”.

·         Da’wah to Allah and the call to the straight path is the way of moderation amidst different calls, ideas, confusion, and ignorance.

·         Da’wah to Allah is an important step in serious Islamic work. It serves Ta’reef (the spreading of Islamic ideas) which proceeds Takween (the establishment of organized Islamic work) and Tarbiya (the moral, spiritual, and physical training of individuals and groups). There is public Da’wah in the form of a book, a magazine, a publication, or a tape. There is also individual Da’wah which is just as important. In this book we will examine individual Da’wah in detail.

Our examination will address two aspects: the first deals with the method and progression in the form of steps; and the second deals with the benefits of individual Da’wah and the qualities of the Da’iya who performs it.

The method and the steps:

We must understand the realities in which the Muslims who receive our Da’wah live (note that we will limit our discussion to Da’wah to Muslims only), so we can change the realities in which they live, limitations in their understanding, weakness in their commitment, or extremism in their views into a complete, pure, and robust understanding of Islam as described by the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam. We must also explain the complete Islamic requirements and the way to fulfill these requirements in a satisfactory fashion. With some studying and analysis of our societies, we find that weakness of Iman or the sedated Iman in the people’s hearts, coupled with a lack of understanding of the realities of this Dean and ignorance of the cultural and social invasion of Muslim minds are plaguing the hearts of most Muslims and are facilitating to the enemies of Allah the manipulation of some Muslims to fight the Dean visibly and invisibly.

We should not expect pure understanding, activism, or productive work for Islam from those who are plagued. We can expect proper understanding, activism, productive work, and elevation of the souls to the levels of the righteous workers only when Islam awakens in the hearts and motivates towards change.

We must emphasis that the adherence to the order of the steps is important and essential to protect callers and the called from despair and rejection. To clarify the way to make individual Da’wah, we will start this Da’wah with a person who is unaware or neglectful of his duties, and we will attempt to elevate him methodically step by step. Generally, there are individuals who are in better shape and who are more receptive, and we should start with them to save time and effort.

For many of the Muslims, their lives are preoccupied and distracted from the worship of Allah. The distraction has made Muslims like people who are deep in their sleep, and there is a blazing fire that is approaching to devour them if their situation continues. Among those who are sleeping is a group of people who are awake and who are witness to the situation and they can not stop the fire. Duty dictates on those who are awake to wake up those who are sleeping so each one of them can realize the gravity of the situation and protect himself from the fire. Any attempt to warn the sleepers before waking them up will be useless because they will not respond. Therefore, awakening the sleepers before warning is essential. Very often, when one attempts to wake up a sleeping person, the sleeper will ask to be left so he or she can continue sleeping. In this situation, the sleeper is enjoying his sleep and does not want any disturbance. The sleeper asks to be left alone while he or she is sleeping, because if he or she was awake and would see the fire, he or she would have departed quickly away from the fire. Furthermore, if a person claims that he or she is awake, then an attempt to escape the fire is the only proof to the truth of the claim. The similitude of this fire example is like that of a Da’iya among those whom he is calling to Allah. Therefore, the Da’iya must be patient in his Da’wah and he must patient in the face of any mistreatment from those whom he calls. He must embrace the example of the beloved prophet who was patient and continued in his Da’wah despite being harmed. The Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam used to say:

“Oh my Lord, guide my people for they do not know.” Along this meaning, Imam Al-Banna said to the Muslim Brotherhood: “Be like trees among people. The people would stone the trees, but the trees continue to produce fruit.”

1st

We start with the first stage in individual Da’wah: which is establishing a friendship with the recipient of Da’wah and making the recipient feel that you are genuinely concerned with him. You interact with him without indulging in any issue of Da’wah until the heart of the recipient is comfortable to receive useful instructions. The reception of the recipient is directly proportional to the concern and emotion devoted to him. Any talk with the recipient about Da’wah my turn away the recipient. The first step may take several weeks.

2nd

The second stage: is an attempt to revive the sedated Iman in the heart of the recipient. The talk might not be about Iman directly, but rather the talk should seem natural as if it is unintended. You might utilize the chance of seeing a bird, a plant, an insect, or any other one of Allah’s creation to talk about the Ability, the Magnificence, and Power of Allah. For example, you might explain how all the plants emerge from soil and water, yet they are different in their stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, colors, smell, taste even though all are irrigated with the same water and in one soil. Allah says in the Quran: “The creation of Allah who [Allah] has perfected everything.”

“This is the creation of Allah so show me what others have created.” Can all the scientists with all their knowledge create a grain of wheat in their laboratories that can grow into a wheat plant if it is put in soil and watered? They will not be able to because the secret of germination is only in the knowledge of Allah alone. Therefore, no human an put the secret in an artificial seed. Also, if all the people on earth gather to create a fruit fly, they will not be able to, because creation and giving life is for Allah alone.

Therefore, with continuing dialogue and with contemplation upon Allah’s creation, the recipient’s heart will bloom with the glorification and remembrance of Allah. The Quran says:

“And they ponder upon the creation of the heavens and the earth. Our Lord, you have not created this in vain, All Glory be to you, so protects from the punishment of hell.” This ayah clearly illustrates that the fruit of contemplation is the glorification of Allah. This glorification is raised to the remembrance of the day of judgment and what is in it from reward that pushes the believer to ask Allah’s protection from the hell fire.

With the awakening of the belief in Allah, His Oneness, His Might, and His Perfection, the heart lives on the path of Allah, rises from its sleep, and prepares for the completeness of belief in the Hereafter and what is in it from resurrection, judgment, and reward and punishment. Further, the heart will understand the mission that Allah has created us for, which is the worship of Allah, and that Allah has not created us in vain. It might be important to explain the issue of the honor that Allah has bestowed upon humans when He breathed life into them. Many people have ignored this honor and concentrated on the physical aspects of creation and on the needs of the bodies. Truly, the Islamic Aqeedah (creed) is essential to the well-being of the soul and its happiness in this life and in the hereafter. In this manner, the dialogue should continue about the issue of Iman. When Iman awakes, the person will start reviewing his life and he will feel that if he continues in his negligence, indulgence in sins, and disobedience to Allah, he will face a severe punishment from Allah on the day of judgment when there is no escape or avail. At that point, leading him and instructing him with his Islamic duties will become simpler and easier.

3rd

Next, the third stage begins. This stage deals with helping the recipient of Da’wah to realize his situation by learning about obedience to Allah, compulsory worship, the regularity of practicing the teachings of Islam, staying away from the sins, and acquiring Islamic manners. It might be best to supply him with simple reading material in Aqeedah, Ibadah, and Akhlaq (manners) and to invite him to attend lectures and circles of knowledge where he can meet good and righteous people and avoid people of mischief. Moreover, he should not be left alone for prolonged periods of time without follow up. Following up with him will help him continue on the straight path, and it will help to protect him from the causes of diminished commitment, laziness, and excessiveness. This stage may continue for several weeks or months until his personality is a solid Islamic personality that is difficult to shake. At this point, we must be aware that there are many different kinds of people who are at this stage and we can start with them in the fourth stage directly provided we have fulfilled the first stage which is establishing a strong relation with them to insure continued dialogue and commitment to the Da’wah.

4th

The fourth stage deals with explaining the complete meaning of Ibadah. Ibadah is not limited to Salat, fasting, Zakat, and Hajj, but instead it encompass all aspects of life including food, dress, knowledge, work, marriage, sports, and caring for the younger generation. All the aspects of Ibadah can be fulfilled provided that two conditions are fulfilled. The first condition is pure intention and adherence to Islam in that we intend to use our actions as help in obeying Allah and fulfilling the purpose of Allah in making us his vice gerunds on earth. For example, we eat and drink to attain the strength to obey and worship Allah, and thus eating and drinking become acts of worship for which we are rewarded. We learn to benefit the Muslims and the nation of Islam, so that our learning becomes an act of worship for which we receive reward for the time, effort, and work in any branch to benefit Muslims and the nation of Islam and to earn lawfully to establish our lives and to fulfill our needs. Also, if we marry to safe guard ourselves, to establish a Muslim home that is a strong pillar in the establishment of the Islamic nation, and to rear righteous offspring, devoting our time to train them on the basis of Islam so the Deen of Allah can be glorified, then the marriage is transformed into an act of worship for which we receive reward from Allah. Even when we practice sports to strengthen our bodies to carry the burdens of Da’wah and jihad in the path of Allah, then our practice of sports becomes an act of worship. In this fashion, our life becomes a large place of worship in which we worship Allah with every action that we perform with pure and sincere intention. The second condition is the adherence of all our actions to the commandments of Allah and the teachings of Islam. Therefore, we don’t eat, drink, dress, or practice an action unless it is Halal and is an acceptable act of worship. For example, we cannot say that we will eat what is Haram to build our strength to obey Allah. At this stage, the Muslim individual’s actions and attitudes must adhere to the commandments of Allah. Furthermore, he must understand the comprehensive nature of Ibadah rather than the understanding that Ibadah is limited to the pillars of Islam.

5th

The fifth stage deals with explaining to the recipient that our Deen is not restricted to individual commitment to Allah, in which a Muslim performs compulsory worship, commits to good manners, and safeguard others from his harms. Instead, our Islam is a collective way of life that regulates all aspects of life from jurisprudence to politics and jihad. This is the correct understanding of Islam that dictates general responsibilities and obligations on Muslims. We are obliged to fulfill the orders of Allah to establish a society based on Islamic political, economic, social, and legislative principals. We must understand that our duty to this Deen is to establish it on earth and to convey it to all of humanity

“Until there is no more persecution and the religion becomes Allah’s”.

A Muslim can not live a proper Islam if he is isolated from his Muslim brothers or if he is unaffected by what the Muslims face from hardship, trials, or calamities at the hands of the enemies of Allah all over the Muslim world. The Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wasalam said:

“whom so ever is not concerned with the affairs of the Muslims, he is not from among them.” Around this meaning, the dialogue will continue with the recipient until the feeling of responsibility towards Islam and Muslims in general is instated in his mind and manifested in his action. Next, we must explain to him that the current state of the Muslim Ummah compels us to work earnestly to reestablish the Islamic Khilapha after the enemies of Allah have plotted to abolish it. Further, we must explain that the hardship that Muslim Ummah faces such as divisions, attacks by the enemies of Allah, destruction of masjids, rape of women, confiscation of Muslim land, stealing of Muslim resources, and raising new generations away from Islam are all a direct result of the absence of a Muslim state that intimidates the enemies of Allah, prevents the enemies from attacking Muslims, unites the Muslims, and establishes the Deen of Allah. Also, we must explain that establishing the Khilapha is not the duty of the rulers or Muslim scholars alone, but rather it is the duty of every Muslim man and woman in day and age. Furthermore, all the Muslims are sinful if they do not work to establish the Islamic state. The dialogue will continue until the recipient starts thinking seriously and practically about the establishment of the Islamic state.

6th

The sixth stage deals with explaining that the duty of establishing the Khilapha or an Islamic state can not be fulfilled by one individual. Rather, it must be fulfilled by a Jamaa (an organized group of Muslims working collectively) that coordinates the efforts of individuals to achieve the huge duty. Also, the known rule of Shareeah states that what is essential to perform a compulsory act is also compulsory. Therefore, since the establishment of an Islamic state cannot be fulfilled except through a Jamaa, then the establishment of a Jamaa is compulsory. One cannot imagine that a person can be complete in his Deen if he lives alone and does not work through a Jamaa that establishes the duties of Islam and works earnestly for the establishment of the Islamic Khilapha. This stage is essential because many Muslims do not see the importance of establishing a Jamaa or working through a Jamaa either because they would like escape the responsibility or because they would not like to face any hardship associated with working in a Jamaa. Explaining the magnitude of the responsibility that can not fulfilled except through a Jamaa is essential to convince the recipient of the importance of establishing a Jamaa at whatever cost. Further, explaining the great benefit of a Jamaa is very critical.

7th

The seventh stage deals with the question of which Jamaa a person should work with? This stage is important and critical and requires wisdom and a strength in explanation and argument. There are many active Jamaas in the Islamic arena that call on youth and carry the banner of Islam. Each of these Jamaas has its slogans and means to attract youth.

Every Muslim youth should understand that the issue of working for Islam is of prime importance and choosing the path through which he will serve Islam is critical. He must be comfortable with the soundness of the path and he should not rush in choosing the Jamaa in which he will work to establish Islam. Since everyone lives once, he should not gamble with his only chance and should verify the path by spending time and effort until he feels comfortable and confident of his choice.

We should be aware that fulfilling the demands of Islam and establishing and Islamic state must be done in accordance to the path of the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam when he established the first Islamic state by laying the pure Aqeedah in the hearts of believers and training the believers in Dar Al-Arqam on the banquet of Quran and in the school of Sunnah. From his school Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam , many men graduated with an Aqeedah that ruled their emotions, actions, and every aspect of their life. They devoted to the Aqeedah all they could of time, effort, health, time, and breath. For it, they persevered in spreading it and withstood all hardship and suffering. They protected it with jihad of their money and souls. Therefore, those men became the strong pillars in the first Islamic state. After that, the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam made them brothers, organized them, and took from them vows and promises to protect this Deen with all what they own until they achieved victory with the grace of Allah.

In this fashion, the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam achieved the strength of Aqeedah, the strength of unity, and then the physical strength. When the vibrant and strong Aqeedah resides in the hearts of believers, it can face the enemies of Allah and push them back with strength:

“To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged”. But before the establishment of the base when the Muslims where few, the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam used to advise the believers with patience over hardship and fortitude on truth in which they believed while continuing to call others to Islam. The Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam did not ask them to face evil with strength. Therefore, a Jamaa that follows this path is the one most worthy of working with. But if a Jamaa does not stress the side of Tarbiya and preparation based on unity, faith, and strength, then it is gambling with its work and hampering the Islamic work.

For example, trying to reach power using physical strength or political maneuvers only without Tharbiya and unity is a risk doomed to shake the continuation and strength of Islamic work and certain to abort before it grows and prospers naturally over a strong base. Therefore, establishing a strong base that calls for the Islamic state and defends and protects the state when it is established is essential. The establishment of the structure of the Islamic state starts from the base and not from the top. The bigger the structure, the bigger and deeper the base needs to be. We must realize that since the enemies of Islam work internationally then the structure of Islamic state must be international and that time is not measured by the life span of individuals but rather by the life span of nations.

With the grace of Allah, we find that Imam Al-Shahid Hasan Al-Banna has followed the way of the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam and affirmed the importance of preparing the Muslim individual in his Aqeedah, the Muslim home, and the Muslim society as a strong basis over which the Islamic government, the Islamic state, and then the Khilapha will be established with the will of Allah.

Further, we must understand that the Jamaa most worthy of working with is the one that takes Islam in its entirety as an Aqeedah, an Ibadah, manners, a Shareeah, a rule of government, jihad, and every other aspect of life. The Jamaa must not stress one aspect and neglect the other side for any reason. The Jamaa must have the horizontal base across the world to facilitate the establishment of the wide base pivotal to establishing an international Islamic state and not an Islamic state which is limited to a country or a region. Not only that, but the more experience the Jamaa has, the greater the trust in the hearts of workers that the goals of Islam will be fulfilled in the most time and energy efficient manner possible. Moreover, the experience of the Jamaa will keep it away from extremism, disunity, and negligence and will keep it on the path of the Prophet Salla Allahu Alyhi Wasalam and our righteous predecessors.

The Jamaa must be united and organized and must work on a well known plan away from spontaneity and haphazardness. We must be aware of the danger of division and the wasting of efforts caused by splitting ourselves into small disunited groups. Essentially, everyone who wants to work for Islam must add his voice and effort to the Jamaa that fulfills the requirements mentioned above. Also, one should not raise the flag of a new Jamaa and should not follow the call of an inexperienced Jamaa, because doing so will disperse the efforts of Muslims. Furthermore, one should not forsake the large experienced Jamaa unless he finds that Fisq and misguidence are the norm in it.

A story of Lady Da’ee – Sister: Khadheeja Sudarshani

She is a lady from a remote village from down south. She is sixth member of the strong Buddhist family of ten. She did her Advance Level examination is science stream. She missed by few marks to enter the university although she was already got through her Buddhist Dharmacharya (Master Theosophical) exam. And she was teacher of Buddhist philosophy and Pali language in Sunday school of the temple.

She came to Colombo for the employment. Though she lived in a Sinhala Buddhist environment, she happend to know about Muslims after she visited Colombo. Her first employment was in an office of strong Muslim political party.

While she was working here she had an interest about Islam. At this juncture she moved to Malaysia to per sue a course there. Here she embraced Islam and followed a course in Islam (Al Muslimah) at Regional Islamic Da’wah Council of South East Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP – Malaysia). After completing her course she return back home. Everybody in the family aware of her conversion except her father.

Then occurred a turning point in her life. One day she was offering her salah at her place her father happened to noticed it and he questioned “what was she did” then she replied “I was offering  prayer to Almighty ALLAH.” Since he is a strong Buddhist he could not take it up the matter he severely beaten her. Father insist her revert back to Buddhism. She told “even if you kill me I would not.” So he chased her from the house so she came to Colombo. Fortunately she got an employment in a Islamic centre in Colombo. She taught Islam for new Muslims.

While she was working here she tried to visit home. Though her father agreed to her wish to see her family members with one condition that is to she should visit without her head scarf. Due to this she could not visit her sick mother for more than four years.

She got a break to follow a course in Quran in Malaysia (RISEAP). She was a only person in Sri Lanka who had followed this course. After her return Malaysia she married to a Da’ee. She thought could continue the same path once you marry such a person. Now she is a mother of a baby girl.

She is the one of the most experience lady Da’ee in Sri Lanka. She had been appointed as Secretary by Brother: Anver Manatunga, DAWAH CORNER – SRI LANKA and YAHAMAGA Islamic monthly news paper.

Her immediate wish is to inaugurate a ladies Da’wah wing. We hope you will extend your fullest co-operation for her future Da’wah activities in Sri Lanka.

Office equipments for DA’WAH CORNER

In earlier occasions you have tendered a helping on various matter of DA’WAH CORNER – SRI LANKA. We are very much great full to you.

As you know we have establish an new office for Tharbiah centre for new Muslims, Ladies da’wah unite and YAHAMAGA monthly Islamic news paper.

Once again we request you all equipments for the office. We need the following items at the moment to function office.

3 nos office tables, 3 nos office chairs, Reception table, 15 nos class room chairs, Photocopy machine, Computer, Laser printer, Scanner,  Telephone (CDMA), Fax machine,  Multimedia projector, Mega CD writer, Book racks and Refrigerator.

P.S: We welcome even the used ones in good working condition.

May Allah bless you.

Happy news for you

Though we engaged in so many Dawah activities we were bundled in to a 5’x5’ place. Alhamdullillah! We would like to express our happiness for Allah (SWT) gave us a more spacious place to carry out other activities in No: 10, Fonseka road, Off Sumanarama road, Mount lavinia, Sri Lanka.

Existing premises (in the world market – Colombo) continued to be the centre of Dawah for non Muslims.

Ladies wing, Tharbiya section for new Muslims and YAHAMAGA news paper office will be function in this new premises.

We make this opportunity to thank the gentlemen who helped us to make this good act, May Allah bless them and their family in every way!!!

Da’wah through mails.

In span of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) life he had sent around three hundred letters to non Muslims. From the inception DA’WAH CORNER – SRI LANKA adopted this method.

We used to mail pamphlet containing brief account of prophets life story.  Some respond with bouquets some with brick bats. The latter’s request why did you mail this to me? I respond them. We know about Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ. Do you know about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?

There answers are negative. So this is the reason I mailed this to you.

A three – wheeled vehicle through sadaka from a good Samaritan. Alhamdulillah! a gentlemen requested me what I need for da’wah purpose. Needs were plenty so out of them I requested a vehicle. He readily obliged with some money Masha Allah!

This is how we purchased this three – wheeled vehicle. So this vehicle belongs to Allah. We utilised this for da’wah purpose. We decided display message of dawah right around the three – wheeler.

It is a risk to mention the propagation of Islam on the vehicle. Instead we exhibit about the Islamic information, Islamic books and the contact telephone number. Alhamdulillah! we got a tremendous responds specially from rural areas.

Dear Brothers: Asslamu Allaikum

I have received this presentation. It is good one. Please go through it and forward to our christian brothers.

jazakhllah khair.

Anver Manatunga,

Happy Christmas